White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is weighing in on the debate over whether military bases named after Confederate generals should be renamed.
During her White House press briefing on Friday, a reporter asked McEnany how it is helpful for an African American who wants to serve in the military to report to “a base named for a Confederate general who worked to still put and keep in place slavery, which impacted their ancestors.”
McEnany explained these military bases are not recognized for the generals and are instead acknowledged for those who have served America.
“The bases are not known for the generals they’re named after. The bases are known for the heroes within it, the great Americans, Black, white, Hispanic, of every race who have died on behalf of this great country,” McEnany said.
Watch her comments below:
Press Sec. Kayleigh McEnany on bases named for Confederate generals: "The bases are not known for the generals they're named after." pic.twitter.com/4jCepQsODG
— The Hill (@thehill) July 24, 2020
McEnany’s comments come amid protests calling for the end to racism and police brutality and, with that, the removal of representations of Confederate leaders.
The White House threatened to veto the National Defense Authorization Act over its provision to rename military bases, as IJR previously reported.
The House passed its version of the bill on Tuesday preparing for negotiations with the Republican-led Senate, as IJR previously reported.
The Senate bill includes a provision to change the names of bases including Fort Bragg and Fort Benning. These two bases recognize men who fought against American troops during the Civil War.
McEnany argued Trump is standing with the majority of Americans who do not want to see the bases renamed.
“The president stands with the American people. Fifty six percent don’t want to see the bases’ names changed,” McEnany said.
She continued, “Where he stands is in a place where many soldiers who have lost their lives overseas, the last ground that they saw were these bases, and by changing their names, he believes that it is not appropriate.”