Donald Trump
President Donald Trump delivers his address at the commencement ceremony at the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut Drew Angerer/Getty Images

In the wake of the slew of major controversies plaguing the White House, US President Donald Trump lashed out at critics claiming that no politician in history has been treated worse than him. During a speech to graduates at the US Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut on Wednesday (17 May), the embattled commander-in-chief spoke about perseverance and warned graduating cadets that life is "not always fair".

"You will find that things happen to you that you do not deserve and that are not always warranted," Trump said. "Look at the way I've been treated lately, especially by the media. No politician in history — and I say this with great surety — has been treated worse or more unfairly."

"You can't let them get you down. You can't let the critics and the naysayers get in the way of your dreams," he continued. "I guess that's why we won."

Trump's comments come on the heels of an explosive report on Tuesday that the president asked James Comey, who was recently-fired as FBI director, to end the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Comey was heading the probe into Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 election and allegations of collusion between Moscow and Trump's campaign.

Earlier this week, reports emerged that the president revealed highly classified information, reportedly from key ally Israel, to Russian officials. Trump later defended himself on Twitter saying he had the "absolute right" to do so.

The internet, however, was not sympathetic to the president's complaints at the military academy's commencement address. Social media users immediately slammed Trump pointing out that politicians throughout US and world history have faced worse and have even been killed for their views.

Many users pointed out that numerous US presidents such as Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy, James Garfield and William McKinley were assassinated while many other politicians faced assassination attempts. President Lincoln, the 16th US president, had to oversee a civil war.

Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, faced a slew of conspiracy theories, including the "birther" theory from Trump himself who suggested he was not born in the United States and repeatedly pressed him to release his birth certificate to prove it.

Some users criticised Trump for making the commencement ceremony speech about himself.

"I feel so bad for the CG cadets. They got a POTUS for their commencement and ended up with the Whiner in Chief. SAD", a Twitter user wrote. Another wrote: "To claim he's being treated unfairly shows that @realDonaldTrump cares more about his ego than any of the people whose lives he ruins."

"Trump smeared Obama for years with his birther witch hunt, but Trump's the one facing impeachment. Karma can be poetic," one user tweeted.