Donald Trump urged the graduates to never stop fighting for what they believe in

Trump gave the commencement address to more than 18,000 graduates of Liberty University, a Christian school, in which he praised 'being an outsider' and slammed his critics.

Donald Trump, the real estate mogul-turned-president, offered simple words of advice to university graduates Saturday as he urged them to follow their convictions, prepare to face criticism and relish the opportunity to be an "outsider."

"It's the outsiders who change the world," Trump declared in his first commencement address to more than 18,000 graduates of Liberty University, a Christian school whose president was one of Trump's earliest and most outspoken supporters during last year's presidential campaign.


Trump urged the graduates to never stop fighting for what they believe in. "Remember this: Nothing worth doing ever, ever, ever came easy," he said. Tens of thousands of people packed an on-campus stadium to welcome Trump, the second sitting president to address the university's commencement ceremony, with applause and a standing ovation.

"Following your convictions means you must be willing to face criticism from those who lack the same courage to do what is right, and they know what is right, but they don't have the courage or the guts or the stamina to take it and to do it," said Trump, who did not wear a gown.

Trump advised the graduates to "never quit" and to carry themselves with "dignity and pride."
"Demand the best from yourself and be totally unafraid to challenge entrenched interests and failed power structures," Trump said, in a dig at the Washington political establishment he has vowed to shake up. "Does that sound familiar, by the way?"

Trump also urged graduates to "treat the word 'impossible' as nothing more than motivation" and "relish the opportunity to be an outsider."

"The more that a broken system tells you that you're wrong, the more certain you should be that you must keep pushing ahead," he said. "You must keep pushing forward." Trump suggested they choose careers they love "or you most likely won't be very successful at it."