- President Trump on Sunday in an interview on Fox News continued to reject efforts to rename military bases named by Confederate leaders, asking whether those in favor of doing so wanted them to be named in honor of the civil rights and television personality, the Rev. Al Sharpton.
- Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have proposed spending $ 1 million to rename American military bases as part of the proposed $ 695 billion defense spending bill.
- Trump previously said he would veto the bill if it contained the provision, although it was unclear in Sunday’s interview if he planned to sign the bill.
- Trump also again defended the Confederate flag and downplayed its racist history.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
President Trump in a Fox News interview on Sunday continued to reject ongoing efforts to rename American military bases named by Confederate leaders, asking host Chris Wallace whether those calling for the renaming of Fort Bragg in Carolina del North would prefer it to be named after Rev. Al Sharpton.
“I don’t care what the military says,” Trump said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” “I’m supposed to make the decision.”
The president then suggested that the North Carolina community oppose such a change.
“Go to that community where Fort Bragg is in excellent condition, I love that state, go to the community, say how you like the idea of renaming Fort Bragg, and then what are we going to call it?” Trump asked.
“Shall we name him after the Rev. Al Sharpton?” Trump continued, evoking the name of the civil rights activist, politician, MSNBC presenter and Baptist minister. “What are you going to name it, Chris, tell me what are you going to call it?”
As Business Insider’s David Choi previously reported, lawmakers are considering a plan to spend $ 1 million to rename American military bases named after Confederate generals as part of the $ 695 defense authorization bill. billion There are 10 US Army bases across the US named after Confederate leaders, including Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
During the same interview, as Bloomberg observed, the president was unclear if he would veto the Defense Authorization Act if it contained the provision to change the name of the Confederate bases. At first, he said he would not veto the bill, although later in Sunday’s interview he suggested he could veto it, echoing his comments in a tweet he sent on June 30.
“I will veto the Defense Authorization Bill if the Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren Amendment (of all people!), Which will lead to the name change (plus other bad things!) From Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E Lee and many other military personnel The bases from which we won Two World Wars are on the bill! “Trump tweeted last month.
—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 1, 2020
Calls to remove Confederate statues and monuments and to rename military bases and other places named after Confederate leaders have been expanded as part of protests against police brutality and racism that began in May following the police murder of George Floyd, 46, in Minneapolis.
The effort to rename the Confederate bases has received rare bipartisan support, as Business Insider previously reported. Earlier this month, the US Army effectively banned the Confederate flag on military bases.
In response to these calls and protesters who have toppled Confederate statues on their own, Trump has threatened protesters with up to ten years in prison, citing a law aimed at protecting memorials for veterans. Trump also in Sunday’s interview downplayed the Confederate Flag’s connections to racism, comments similar to those he made in an interview in early July.
“When people proudly hold their Confederate flags, they are not talking about racism,” the president told Wallace. “They love their flag, it represents the South, they like the South. People right now like the South. I would say it is freedom from many things, but it is freedom of expression.”
Read more:
Trump admitted to making mistakes in the coronavirus response, but doubled down on his prediction that the virus “will go away,” he says “will finally be right.”
“I don’t think it’s fake news”: Chris Wallace and Trump from Fox News discuss misleading claims about death rates from the US coronavirus.
Trump says many of the US coronavirus cases are just people who ‘have a cold’
Trump campaign launched an internal audit of spending irregularities during Brad Parscale’s tenure as campaign manager
