Naval Academy postpones lecture from noted Trump critic

The U.S. Naval Academy has postponed a Thursday lecture from a New York University history professor who critics said would have used the opportunity to denounce former President Donald Trump in violation of Defense Department regulations against partisan political activity on military bases.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat had been invited to give the keynote address at the Naval Academy’s annual Bancroft Lecture named after George Bancroft, who was the Navy secretary in the 1840s. In a statement to The Washington Times, academy officials didn’t explain why they canceled Ms. Ben-Ghiat’s speech.

“The Naval Academy encourages midshipmen to be critical thinkers who can analyze issues from multiple perspectives and contexts,” USNA officials said. “Our focus is on how to think, not what to think.”

Last week, Rep. Keith Self, Texas Republican, sent a letter to Vice Adm. Yvette M. Davids, the academy’s superintendent, denouncing Ms. Ben-Ghiat’s selection to give the Bancroft Lecture address.

“The Bancroft Lecture has long been a symbol of prestigious historical analysis at the United States Naval Academy, honoring its founder, George Bancroft, and celebrating historical analysis,” Mr. Self said in the letter. “Turning this respected tradition into a soapbox for leveling attacks on a candidate less than two months from Election Day would destroy the foundation of this historic lecture.”

Ms. Ben-Ghiat’s animosity toward the former president isn’t a secret. She recently published a Substack post where she claimed that “insulting and mocking the military are among his most consistent habits.” She also accused him of being an authoritarian with a desire to destroy democratic values and ideals. 

Despite her public anti-Trump rhetoric, Ms. Ben-Ghiat said Mr. Self was “misinformed” about the nature of her Bancroft Lecture address. She said it was a nonpartisan event and would have been inappropriate to speak about Mr. Trump or the current U.S. political situation.

“I had planned to examine the fate of militaries in authoritarian states through the case studies of fascist Italy during World War II and Pinochet’s Chile,” Ms. Ben-Ghiat said in a statement to The Washington Times.

In her Substack post, Ms. Ben-Ghiat said the address would have been closed to the public — a change from past Bancroft Lectures where the community was invited to attend.

“As a military service academy, the Naval Academy maintains a high moral, legal and ethical bar in remaining a strictly nonpartisan training and educational institution,” an academy spokesperson said. “This includes avoiding all appearances of association of partisan advocacy or endorsement in adherence with civil-military norms and Department of Defense” regulations.