- President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign claimed in a series of announcements that the administration would “protect” Brazil’s famous Christ the Redeemer statue from possible destruction by vandals.
- This occurs when the President has campaigned aggressively against protesters who have toppled or smashed American monuments and statues.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign bizarrely claimed in a series of announcements that the administration would protect Brazil’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue from possible destruction by vandals, the Daily Beast reported for the first time.
This comes when the President has campaigned aggressively against protesters who have toppled or smashed American monuments and statues, including those honoring Confederate and colonial figures, in recent weeks.
“The president wants to know who was with him against the radical left,” the Facebook and Instagram ads read. Beneath a photo of the iconic Rio de Janeiro statue, it said “WE WILL PROTECT THIS.”
It is unclear why the president believes he could protect a monument in a foreign country. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The president recently warned, without presenting any evidence, that protesters in the United States are considering attacking the statues of Jesus and promised to prevent this from happening. Last week he signed an executive order “on the construction and reconstruction of monuments to American heroes” that mandates a 10-year prison sentence for those convicted of damaging federal monuments.
—Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) July 6, 2020
On Saturday, Trump framed his divisive July 4 speech at Mount Rushmore around what he called “a ruthless campaign to erase our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children.”
“Angry crowds are trying to tear down the statues of our Founders, disfigure our most sacred monuments and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities,” said Trump in South Dakota. “The American people are strong and proud, and they will not allow our country, and all its values, history and culture, to be taken away.”
Trump continued: “Make no mistake: This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution … For this to be possible, they are determined to tear down every statue, symbol and memory of our national heritage.”
