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Trump says no way to changing names of US Army bases

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Pressure is mounting on military institutions to address racism and inequality.

By Aaron Sull, World Israel

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday his administration will “not even consider” changing the name of any Army base named after a Confederate officer.

“These monumental and very powerful bases have become part of a great American heritage, a history of winning, victory, and freedom,” Trump tweeted.

“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,” he wrote.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump is “fervently” opposed to making any changes because it would amount to “complete disrespect” for soldiers who trained there over the years.

According to McEnany, the president would veto any Congressional legislation supporting the change.

There are 10 Army bases in the U.S. named after Confederate generals who fought for the South during the Civil War. Among them are Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, Fort Hood and Fort Lee.

Following the tragic death of George Floyd, pressure has been mounting on military and government institutions to address racism and inequality.

This past week, the Navy and Marine Corps announced it will ban public displays of the Confederate flag, commonly associated with racism and white supremacy, in all of its bases, ships, and aircraft.

On Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called for the removal of Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol.

“The statues in the Capitol should embody our highest ideals as Americans, expressing who we are and who we aspire to be as a nation,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to the Joint Committee on the Library, responsible for overseeing the placement of statues in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.

“Monuments to men who advocated cruelty and barbarism to achieve such a plainly racist end are a grotesque affront to these ideals. Their statues pay homage to hate, not heritage. They must be removed,” she wrote.