Trump says Confederate flag proud symbol of U.S. South

By Doina Chiacu

 

U.S. President Donald Trump touts administration efforts to curb federal regulations during an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., July 16, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump declined to say the Confederate flag was an offensive symbol in an interview broadcast on Sunday, saying it is a source of pride for people who love the South.

 

The Republican president was asked on "Fox News Sunday" if the flag, a symbol of U.S. slavery and white supremacy for many Americans, was offensive.

 

"It depends on who you're talking about, when you're talking about," Trump responded. "When people proudly had their Confederate flags they're not talking about racism. They love their flag, it represents the South. They like the South ... I say it's freedom of many things, but it's freedom of speech."

 

Trump has in the past appeared sympathetic to the flag and symbols of the Confederacy of the 1861-65 Civil War.

 

In 2017, he criticized the removal of monuments to the Confederacy and said there were "very fine people on both sides" of a deadly clash in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

 

Earlier this month, he criticized NASCAR’s ban of the Confederate flag from its events.

 

Breaking with several of his fellow Republicans in Congress, Trump has promised to veto the annual National Defense Authorization Act over an amendment to remove the names of Confederate generals from military bases within a year.

 

"We won World Wars out of these, out of these military bases, no I'm not gonna go changing. I'm not gonna go changing," Trump said in the interview, which was taped on Friday.

 

He drew a parallel to the Black Lives Matter movement that was born out of police brutality targeting Black Americans.

 

"I’m not offended either by Black Lives Matter. That’s freedom of speech," Trump said.

 

Former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell, who last month endorsed Democrat Joe Biden in the November election, said on CBS' "Face the Nation" the Confederate flag represents something that was never the United States of America.

 

"It was the Confederate States of America. They were not part of us and this is not the time to keep demonstrating who they were and what they were back then," said Powell, who is Black. "This is time to move on. Let's get going. We have one flag and only one flag only."

 

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Sonya Hepinstall)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-20

 

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Imo they can be proud of that flag I understand the history but to be proud of the cause they fought for is another matter entirely it was evil and wrong it was treason they tryed to destroy our country imo put all the statues in high quality museums remove all names from our military bases if they are so proud of almost destroying the country and getting lots of people killed let them do it in a museum 

Always wanted a '69 Charger in bright orange with a confederate flag on the roof. Can just imagine blasting down the dusty Tennessee back country roads, maybe hop a creek or 2, even a few yeehaws for good measure. Good to know Trump approves!

 If any flag should be banned, and the idea is ridiculous, it should be the hammer and sickle flag. You know the symbol of strict leftism that killed millions. But they are not going to like that! 

Edited July 19, 20205 yr by TopDeadSenter

Can't win the Electoral College with only Alabama and Mississippi. Even Georgia is in play. 

2 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Always wanted a '69 Charger in bright orange with a confederate flag on the roof. Can just imagine blasting down the dusty Tennessee back country roads, maybe hop a creek or 2, even a few yeehaws for good measure. Good to know Trump approves!

 If any flag should banned, and the idea is ridiculous, but it should be the hammer and sickle flag. You know the symbol of strict leftism that killed millions. 

Hey now that’s trumps #1 pal running that country 

I think Trump should be allowed to have his opinion about that flag.

Let's just look at all the other things he says. There should be by now at least a thousand reasons why he should be removed.

An offensive post has been removed.

 

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Forum Netiquette:

 

5. Please do not quote multiple nested quotes. Quote only the relevant section that you are discussing. Moderators will snip excessively long nested quotes. 

 

38 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

 If any flag should be banned, and the idea is ridiculous, it should be the hammer and sickle flag. You know the symbol of strict leftism that killed millions. But they are not going to like that! 

 

No one is "banning" a flag. Yes, some states, like Mississippi, and some businesses, like NASCAR, are distancing themselves from this racist relic of the traitors to our country. People can still wear/wave or paint their car, with this flag, as this would be protected under our Constitution. You caould even burn it if you wanted.

 

No clue what you're on about with a "hammer and sickle flag? The Russian Federation's flag is a simple tri-color of red, white and blue.

 

And no flag has ever killed anyone, let alone millions.

 

Not that it hasn't been tried though...

 

(The Soiling of Old Glory is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph taken by Stanley Forman during the Boston busing crisis in 1976. It depicts a white teenager, Joseph Rakes, assaulting a black man—lawyer and civil rights activist Ted Landsmark—with a flagpole bearing the American flag (also known as Old Glory).}

 

 

 

 

Edited July 20, 20205 yr by mtls2005

34 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Always wanted a '69 Charger in bright orange with a confederate flag on the roof. Can just imagine blasting down the dusty Tennessee back country roads, maybe hop a creek or 2, even a few yeehaws for good measure. Good to know Trump approves!

 If any flag should be banned, and the idea is ridiculous, it should be the hammer and sickle flag. You know the symbol of strict leftism that killed millions. But they are not going to like that! 

 Don't forget having Daisy by your side too! 555 

Worth a peak, interesting how other countries fly the flag for different reasons.......

 

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/confederate-flag-fact-you-can-find-it-flying-many-other-countries-165128

1 hour ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Always wanted a '69 Charger in bright orange with a confederate flag on the roof. Can just imagine blasting down the dusty Tennessee back country roads, maybe hop a creek or 2, even a few yeehaws for good measure. Good to know Trump approves!

 If any flag should be banned, and the idea is ridiculous, it should be the hammer and sickle flag. You know the symbol of strict leftism that killed millions. But they are not going to like that! 

Just be careful which neighborhoods you drive through.

This nonsense, along with changing fort names to purge the names of civil war generals on the losing side should be left alone. Pandering to the mob will only encourage more of the same.

IMO Trump was right (& has bigger fish to fry)

Edited July 20, 20205 yr by evadgib

52 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

No one is "banning" a flag.

"US military effectively bans Confederate flag with new policy"

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53450820

 

"Nascar bans Confederate flag from all tracks due to associations with slavery"

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jun/10/nascar-confederate-flag-banned

 

24 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Worth a peak, interesting how other countries fly the flag for different reasons.......

 

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/confederate-flag-fact-you-can-find-it-flying-many-other-countries-165128

Everywhere a symbol of right wing, even neo Nazis, extremism.

Did you read before posting?

2 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

"US military effectively bans Confederate flag with new policy"

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53450820

 

"Nascar bans Confederate flag from all tracks due to associations with slavery"

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jun/10/nascar-confederate-flag-banned

 

 

The government and private businesses are free to prohibit all sorts of activities. These rules can be challenged.

 

You, as an American citizen are free to wave your Confederate flag.

 

 

 

 

14 minutes ago, evadgib said:

This nonsense, along with changing fort names to purge the names of civil war generals on the losing side should be left alone. Pandering to the mob will only encourage more of the same.

 

By "pandering to the mob" you mean the U.S. Military, right?

 

 

its part of the history and past,you cant just delete history and heritage,some say traitors well they said that of the first rebellion the successful one.many in the south thought they were fighting the same fight,they saw the north as the oppressor.you cant put 2020s leftist ideology into the 1860s thats just plain dumb,consider what the heroes of the north did when it was over-grant sheridan[he who said only good injuns a dead injun fame],custer died on his bid for the white house!thats history too.a dark bloody story of land grabs and genocide,but they were the good guys!

1 hour ago, Boon Mee said:

 Don't forget having Daisy by your side too! 555 

Nah, he seems the Boss Hogg type to me.

That’s an admission of the racist attitude of Trump as far as poll on confederate flag is concerned. Even a majority of Southerners consider the confederate flag a symbol of racism rather than a token of “southern pride” according to a new poll as recent as 16 July. Trump has literally signed off his election chances with his recalcitrant racist alignment. 

34 minutes ago, rupert the bear said:

its part of the history and past,you cant just delete history and heritage,some say traitors well they said that of the first rebellion the successful one.many in the south thought they were fighting the same fight,they saw the north as the oppressor.you cant put 2020s leftist ideology into the 1860s thats just plain dumb,consider what the heroes of the north did when it was over-grant sheridan[he who said only good injuns a dead injun fame],custer died on his bid for the white house!thats history too.a dark bloody story of land grabs and genocide,but they were the good guys!

You may not be able to apply leftist ideology to the 1860's but you can certainly apply abolitionist ideology.

1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:

By "pandering to the mob" you mean the U.S. Military, right?

No, I assumed everyone would know full well what I meant.

DT seems to have just learned Lincoln was a Republican.  Maybe he thought "the party of Lincoln" was the GOP lodge in Lincoln, Nebraska.  He should offer to build monuments to Abraham Lincoln  in all the Dixie locations where the Confederate monuments have been torn down.  I'm sure those white folks down there would appreciate the gesture.

 

 

Funny how the Confederate Flag that stood for the Southern States is a symbol of racism even though the Civil War was over states rights and tariffs not slavery but the flag below somehow does not stand for racial preference and racism. 

3 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Always wanted a '69 Charger in bright orange with a confederate flag on the roof. Can just imagine blasting down the dusty Tennessee back country roads, maybe hop a creek or 2, even a few yeehaws for good measure. Good to know Trump approves!

 If any flag should be banned, and the idea is ridiculous, it should be the hammer and sickle flag. You know the symbol of strict leftism that killed millions. But they are not going to like that! 

A little history lesson, my dear TopDeadSenter.

 

We all know that the Swastika was the symbol and flag of the Nazi party, an extremist right wing party that ran Germany for a while and were responsible for killing millions. But we also know that the Hammer and Sickle was the symbol of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union - they too, under Stalin, killing millions and were extremist in their views.

 

Somewhere nearer the centre is everyone else. Left wing parties in normal democracies tend to want greater government involvement in the economy while right wing governments do not (although in the UK, that distinction seems to have disappeared under Covid-19!).

 

Now your confederate flag is a throwback from history. It repents a regime that has long ceased to exist that thought it was right and proper to enslave all those with black skin. Extremist in my book with nothing to celebrate. Lets consign that flag, along with the Swastika and the Hammer and Sickle to the dustbin of history.

I think maybe it's  time to  abandon "colour" in all things!

 Present the  world in sepia  toning only  and encourage a  global flag with a  single  big ? on it !

I grew up with the "Conferate Flag'..... IT IS MY HISTORY.... I'm 80 years old and white..... Although I love my past and statues of Robert E. Lee and Christopher Columbus and confererate Generals..... THEY ARE HISTORY..... And what a 'lousy bunch' are now trying to destroy them..... AND..... MOST OF ALL.... I love America... I love the red white and blue..... AND I 'Challenge' any who don't love 'it'.......... TO LEAVE IT.....       stop ALL THE DISRUPTIVE PROTESTS, and try to blend in.... Work a little and make something of youselves BEFOREYOU WANT OR EXPECT 'OUR' RESPECT..... Screw black lives matter (admittedly COMMUNIST backed)..... My life matters..... Your life matters...... and it is not about the color of your skin -- BUT it may have something to do whether you wear your pants below your 'crotch or up around your waist....

 

2 hours ago, stevenl said:

Everywhere a symbol of right wing, even neo Nazis, extremism.

Did you read before posting?

Unlike you perhaps I don't necessarily have an agenda, Simply said it was interesting.

Why Trump supports the C flag because if given the chance, he would support segregation and slavery...

 

while I don’t completely support the removal of all confederate statues, I do see how they reinforce the beliefs and values of uneducated southerners   and northerners (38 states have statues) who refuse to let go of the past...

 

I just don’t think their removal will change the current thinking of white nationalists...the issue is much bigger than the presence of physical objects....

 

I heard a statement the other day which I cannot disagree with...the south lost the war but won the peace...most of the statues were erected not after the war but during the Crow years and 1900s civil right movements...it’s all about identity and a threat to one’s belief system and the refusal to let go of social inequality.

Edited July 20, 20205 yr by cardinalblue

2 minutes ago, kensawadee said:

I grew up with the "Conferate Flag'..... IT IS MY HISTORY.... I'm 80 years old and white..... Although I love my past and statues of Robert E. Lee and Christopher Columbus and confererate Generals..... THEY ARE HISTORY..... And what a 'lousy bunch' are now trying to destroy them..... AND..... MOST OF ALL.... I love America... I love the red white and blue..... AND I 'Challenge' any who don't love 'it'.......... TO LEAVE IT.....       stop ALL THE DISRUPTIVE PROTESTS, and try to blend in.... Work a little and make something of youselves BEFOREYOU WANT OR EXPECT 'OUR' RESPECT..... Screw black lives matter (admittedly COMMUNIST backed)..... My life matters..... Your life matters...... and it is not about the color of your skin -- BUT it may have something to do whether you wear your pants below your 'crotch or up around your waist....

 

Though clearly not much time for the First Amendment.

5 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

Why Trump supports the C flag because if given the chance, he would support segregation and slavery...

 

while I don’t completely support the removal of all confederate statues, I do see how they reinforce the beliefs and values of uneducated southerners   and northerners (48 states have statues) who refuse to let go of the past...

 

I just don’t think their removal will change the current thinking of white nationalists...the issue is much bigger than the presence of physical objects....

Two things.

 

I don’t believe Trump has any real views on slavery, he just sees the divisive nature of this history and acts to increase the divisions.

 

Most, if not all of the statues were erected decades after the end of the civil war and the absolute defeat of the Confederacy, the statues themselves are a revision and misrepresentation of history.