Sep 10, 2024 Story by: Editor
Lawmakers from both parties are preparing to push back if former President Donald Trump follows through on his promise to restore a Confederate general’s name to an Army base if reelected. Trump recently pledged to change the name of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, undoing the work of a congressional renaming commission. This sparked bipartisan opposition and signaled a new cultural clash between Trump and Congress should he win in November.
“I think I just learned the secret to winning absolutely and by massive margins. I’m going to promise to you … that we’re going to change the name back to Fort Bragg,” Trump announced during a town hall in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
In 2021, lawmakers from both parties initiated the process of removing Confederate names from nine military bases, despite Trump’s objections. If Trump attempts to reverse these changes, Congress may legislate to prevent him.
“The law was you had to get rid of the Confederate names, and the commission was to determine what those names should be,” stated Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who played a key role in establishing the renaming commission. “The law was passed, it’s not going to go backward.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who championed the renaming legislation in the Senate, emphasized that this issue has already been settled. “The last time Donald Trump tried to block the base renaming, Congress overrode him with strong bipartisan support,” she said. “This latest rant is a desperate political stunt meant to distract and divide us. Trump should listen to military leaders who have honored generations of loyal service members by supporting the renaming of these bases.”
Fort Bragg was named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg, a figure known for his failures on the battlefield and as a slave owner. Bases like Fort Bragg were given Confederate names during the early 20th century, a period when Southern support was sought for the war effort.
In 2020, Congress established a bipartisan commission to rename bases and other military assets that honored the Confederacy, including ships and memorials. This decision followed widespread protests for social justice after George Floyd’s death. The commission’s recommendations, accepted by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in 2022, included renaming nine Army installations, such as Fort Bragg, and removing Confederate imagery.
Although Trump has criticized these changes as part of a “left-wing cultural revolution,” military officials, lawmakers, and members of the commission, such as Kori Schake, argue that honoring fallen service members through names like “Fort Liberty” is far more appropriate than retaining Confederate names. “The name emanated from the people who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” Schake said. “They chose it to honor our dead. And that seems much more fitting than naming it for a disgraced (and mediocre) general.”
Trump, along with figures like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence, has vowed to revert the name if given the chance. However, it remains unclear whether Congress or other bodies would allow such a reversal, given the widespread bipartisan support for the renaming process. Source: Politico
