Donald Trump fury: POTUS shuts down call to rename military bases named after Confederate officers

With the recent protests calling for an end to the racial injustice and police brutality that has been rampant in the United States for years, many officials have deliberated renaming several military bases that were usually named after Confederate officials during the Civil War. However, president Donald Trump immediately shut down those calls, saying that he will not rename those military bases.

BBC reports that Trump went on Twitter to shut down the possibility of renaming the 10 military bases that are named after Confederate generals. Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Benning and Fort Gordon in Georgia, Forts Picket, A.P. Hill, and Lee in Virginia, Fort Rucker in Alabama, Camp Beauregard, and Fort Polk in Louisiana, and Fort Hood in Texas are the bases that are named after Confederate generals.

“These Monumental and very Powerful bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a 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 Our history as the Greatest Nation in the World will not be tampered with. Respect our Military!” tweeted Trump.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany also reiterated this tweet, saying that Trump will not consider signing any legislation that Congress plans on passing involving renaming these bases. McEnany explained that removing those names would be a dishonor to soldiers who last saw these places.

Trump’s tweets followed reports that Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy were open to a bipartisan discussion on whether or not to rename the military bases to get rid of the Confederate names. Prior to that, the Marine Corps also gave an order to Commanders to search and remove any Confederate battle flags or depictions of this battle flag in workplaces and public areas.

The media continued to press McEnany on the topic, especially after retired Army General David Petraeus commented that it is ironic that American soldiers are trained in bases that are named after people who found the Union during the Civil War. McEnany then said that there are heroes who trained in Fort Bragg and that it would be deemed an insult to them “that what they left was inherently a racist institution because of a name.”