President Donald Trump declined to say that the Confederate flag is an offensive symbol during an interview Sunday, where he touted the controversial banner as a sign of pride for the South.
Host Chris Wallace asked Republican President Fox News Sunday whether the flag, considered a symbol of slavery and oppression by most Americans, was offensive.
“It depends on who you are talking to, when you are talking,” Trump replied.
‘When people proudly held their Confederate flags, they did not speak of racism. They love their flag, it represents the south. They like the South … I say it is freedom from many things, but it is freedom of expression, ” he added.
Trump has been an audible opponent of banning the Confederate flag, calling it a violation of freedom of expression. He even threatened to veto a military bill if it allows the name change of the baptized forts after the Confederate generals.
President Donald Trump declined to say that the Confederate flag is an offensive symbol during an interview on Fox News Sunday that he says ‘represents the South’
‘You know everything about canceling culture: we cannot cancel our entire history. We cannot forget that the North and the South fought, ” Trump said.
A view of the Confederate flag, which many Americans interpret as a sign of slavery and oppression, in the photo above. Trump said: ‘When people proudly had their Confederate flags, they are not talking about racism. They love their flag, it represents the south.
Trump expressed his disapproval of canceling culture, reasoning that the Confederacy had a role in American history.
Black Lives Matter doesn’t offend me either, that’s freedom of expression. You know everything about canceling culture: we can’t cancel our entire history. We cannot forget that the North and the South fought, ” he added.
Host Wallace asked Trump about his stance against the $ 740 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which Trump has threatened to topple despite being backed by Democrats and Republicans alike.
‘The National Defense Authorization Act, the NDAA, has threatened to veto it … because the bill would change the name of the army bases named for the Confederate generals. Now this is a bill that finances military operations, gives soldiers a raise, are you going to veto that? Wallace asked.
‘They will get their raise. Hey look, don’t tell me this. I got soldiers the biggest salary increases in the history of our military … I’ve done more for the military than any other president who has held this office, ” Trump said, raising his hands in protest.
Trump has threatened to veto a military bill if he allows the name change of the baptized forts after the Confederate generals. Trump said: ‘Because I think Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E. Lee, all these forts that have been named that way for a long time. Fort Bragg is a big deal, we won two world wars … Shall we name it after the Rev. Al Sharpton?
Fort Lee in Hopewell, Virginia, named after controversial Confederate General Robert E. Lee in the photo above
‘Because I think Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E. Lee, all these forts that have been named like this for a long time. Fort Bragg is a big problem, we won two world wars. Go to that community where Fort Bragg is … say how do you like the idea of renaming Fort Bragg? And then what are we going to call it? Are we going to name it after the Rev. Al Sharpton? Trump said.
“We won two world wars, beautiful world wars that were vicious and horrible, and we won them from all these forts and now they want to throw out all these names.” No, I am against that. ”
But not all politicians, including Republicans, support Trump’s position.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged the president not to reject the bill, saying it is a rare moment of cooperation between both sides of the political aisle.
Senator Elizabeth Warren led an effort to add language to ‘remove all names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederate States of America’ to the account.
In the past, Trump denigrated organizations like NASCAR for banning the flag from parties.
Last week, the Pentagon announced that it will ban the display of the Confederate flag in military installations. In carefully articulated politics, he doesn’t mention the word ‘ban’ or the specific flag in a deliberate effort to avoid Trump’s fury.
The policy was signed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Thursday night and the note lists the types of flags that can be displayed on military bases, and the Confederate flag is not among them.
“We must always remain focused on what unifies us, our oath to the Constitution and our shared duty to defend the nation,” says the Esper memo. “The flags we fly must be in accordance with the military imperatives of good order and discipline, treat all our people with dignity and respect, and reject divisive symbols.”
Despite the military’s stance, Trump said: ‘I don’t care what the military says. Yes, I am supposed to make the decision.
In the controversial Fox News interview, Trump questioned Wallace’s claim that the United States has the seventh highest death rate from the coronavirus in the world.
Today, the United States reports more than 3.7 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 140,000 deaths.
‘But when you talk about mortality rates, I think it’s the opposite. I think we have one of the lowest death rates in the world, ” he said, offering White House statistics that differed from Wallace’s figures cited at Johns Hopkins University.
Then he pulled out a chart on a piece of paper that said, “Look, death rate drops number one.”
Trump insisted that he and Dr. Anthony Fauci (together above), the world’s leading infectious disease expert, have a ‘great relationship’ despite rumors of a crack. Trump also challenged the Johns Hopkins data that the US has the seventh highest death rate from the coronavirus in the world. He claimed that the United States has the “number one low death rate”
However, Johns Hopkins data shows that Brazil and South Korea have lower death rates than the US, but Trump still accused Wallace of being ‘fake news’ for citing those numbers.
Trump insisted that he and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the world’s leading infectious disease expert, have a “great relationship” despite rumors of a breakup, but claimed he “was wrong” at the beginning of the pandemic by saying that would happen and that Trump’s ban on travel from China was a mistake.
“Then he admitted he was right,” said Trump.
Wallace said Trump has also made mistakes in handling the virus, but the president doubled that in the end he will be “right.”
‘I think everyone makes mistakes. Eventually I will be right … It will go away and I will be right, ” she said.
.
