INDIANAPOLIS — Vice President Mike Pence will deliver the commencement address this spring at the University of Notre Dame, the school announced Thursday, an honor customarily reserved for newly elected U.S. presidents.
Notre Dame’s president, the Rev. John Jenkins, had criticized President Donald Trump over his executive order limiting travel and refugees from some Muslim-majority countries, saying it would “demean our nation.” In a December statement, Jenkins said he was considering whether to extend a speaking invitation to Trump but didn’t “want the surrounding controversy to distract from the central purpose of commencement.”
Notre Dame spokesman Paul Browne declined to say whether Trump was invited to the May 21 ceremony or might be asked to visit the South Bend, Indiana, campus in the future. Browne said he expects Pence will be “warmly welcomed.”
“But that doesn’t mean we won’t receive complaints from people who would have preferred someone else,” Browne said. “We typically do.”
Pence said in a statement that it’s “extraordinarily humbling” to be able to return home to Indiana for the Notre Dame ceremony, during which he will be awarded an honorary degree.
Jenkins said in a statement the school was proud to have the former Indiana governor represent the new administration.
Presidents and vice presidents typically deliver commencement addresses each spring. The White House has yet to announce any commencements for Trump.
