President Trump has responded to a push to rename all U.S. military bases that are named after Confederate Generals. Trump said that his administration would not even consider it.
According to Fox News:
President Trump on Wednesday came out strongly against the idea of renaming U.S. military bases that are named after Confederate generals — an issue that has come to the forefront amid the nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice.
In a series of tweets on Wednesday afternoon, Trump called the bases named after Confederate soldiers “Hallowed Grounds” that helped train soldiers to win two world wars. He said his administration “will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations.”
…history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom. The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars. Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 10, 2020
…Our history as the Greatest Nation in the World will not be tampered with. Respect our Military!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 10, 2020
The president’s insistence that the names of the military bases remain unchanged comes just two days after U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said he is open to the idea.
A senior Army official told Fox News on Monday that McCarthy did not plan to change the names unilaterally, but instead will seek bipartisan support to do so. U.S. Army installations named after Confederate generals include Fort Benning in Georgia and Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
At least 10 military installations are named after former Confederate Generals.