Trump refuses to rewrite history; 'will not even consider' renaming Army bases named for Confederate leaders | TheHill

Trump 'will not even consider' renaming Army bases named for Confederate leaders | TheHill

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President Trump said Wednesday he will "not even consider" renaming Army bases that were named for Confederate leaders 

President Trump said Wednesday he will "not even consider" renaming Army bases that were named for Confederate leaders 
after top military officials indicated recently they are open to the idea.In a series of tweets, Trump argued the bases have become part of U.S. history that should not be “tampered with.”

“These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom,” he tweeted, adding that “HEROES” who won two world wars were trained on the “Hallowed Grounds” of the bases. “Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations,” Trump continued. 

Trump’s tweets come two days after the Army said its Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Defense Secretary Mark Esper were “open” to renaming the bases.

The Army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's tweets.

There are 10 Army bases around the country named for Confederate military officers: Fort Lee, Fort Hood, Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, Fort Bragg, Fort Polk, Fort Pickett, Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Rucker and Camp Beauregard.

The stance the Army announced Monday marked a reversal from as recently as February, when the service told Task & Purpose it had no plans to change the name of any base, including those named after Confederate military officers.

The about-face came amid nationwide protests over police violence and racial injustice sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died when a police officer who has since been charged with second-degree murder knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

The service has been under increasing pressure to rename the bases, with advocates for doing so arguing it is not appropriate to honor those who took up arms against the United States and fought to preserve slavery.

Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus, for example, recently argued in The Atlantic that “Lee, Bragg and the rest committed treason” and that the Army “should not brook any celebration of those who betrayed their country.”