President Trump sent a three-tweet message on Thursday morning, proclaiming that he is “sad” to see “beautiful statues and monuments” that commemorate confederate leaders removed from American cities, saying they “will be greatly missed and never able to be comparably replaced!”
The weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia all started over the potential removal of a Robert E. Lee statue when net-Nazis and white supremacists obtained a permit to protest its takedown. Lee was commander of the pro-slavery Confederate army in the U.S. Civil War. Counter-protestors showed up, and the chaos that ensued left one person dead and at least 19 others injured.
“Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “You can’t change history, but you can learn from it. Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson – who’s next, Washington, Jefferson? So foolish!”
Baltimore’s mayor had statues removed this week, saying it was in the “best interest of my city,” and New Orleans took similar measures earlier this year. Officials in Dallas, Memphis, Tennessee and Jacksonville, Florida have all announced initiatives to take down Confederate monuments.
Trump also wrote, “The beauty that is being taken out of our cities, towns and parks will be greatly missed and never able to be comparably replaced!”
Confederate monuments are viewed by many as reminders of slavery and the darkest moments in American history. Many cities around the Unites States have been removing monuments that offend a large portion of the population. However, others feel that removing the monuments is an attempt to re-write history and should remain in place to help Americans learn from previous mistakes.
Trump initially caused outrage when he said “both sides” were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville. He eventually condemned the white supremacists, KKK and neo-Nazis, but backpedaled 24 hours later.
Trump sent a surge of viewers into dismay during a Tuesday press conference when he repeated that “both sides” were responsible, while also claiming there were some “very fine people” attending the white nationalist rally.
Check out the president’s tweets:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/898169407213645824
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/898171544236687361
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/898172999945392131