Donald Trump says 'we ARE in a culture war' and tells Republicans to 'toughen up and fight for our heritage' - as his campaign discusses having statutes at his rallies
President Donald Trump said America is in the middle of a 'culture war' as a national battle continues over monuments and military bases and his campaign is now considering having statues at his rallies.
'We are in a culture war,' he told RealClearPolitics in an interview.
And, he warned, losing that war could cost the Republican Party the election.
'If the Republicans don't toughen up and get smart and get strong and protect our heritage and protect our country,' he said, 'I think they're going to have a very tough election.'
President Donald Trump said America is in the middle of a 'culture war' as a national battle continues over monuments and military bases
President Trump has decried protesters having statues removed with ties to the Confederacy - above workers in Richmond, Va., remove a statue of Confederate general J.E.B. Stuart from Monument Avenue
President Trump said the decision to fly the Confederate flag, seen by many as a racist symbol, is one of 'freedom of speech'
President Trump was angered when protesters tried to tear down a statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park in late June; they were stopped by police
In the interview, the president rejected talk he was self-sabotaging a second term.
'I want it with all my breath,' he said, 'with every ounce of what I represent.'
The president has blasted protesters who have taken down statues that have ties to Confederate officials. Some states - such as Virginia - also are removing statues with ties to the Confederacy.
And, to counter that, the White House and the Trump campaign are discussing having statues at the president's campaign rallies, ABC News reported.
It's also unclear who the statues would be of but a source told the network one idea was for 'America's Founding Fathers.'
No final decision has been made. President Trump has a campaign rally Saturday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Trump's words contradict those of White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who said at her briefing on Monday that concerns about the monuments was not part of a 'culture war.'
'This vision is not a culture war, as the media seeks to falsely proclaim; it’s an embrace of our American family, our values, our freedom, and our future,' she said.
President Trump has leaned into the culture war theme, including the preservation of Confederate monuments, which have come under assault in the aftermath of George Floyd's death and the subsequent 'Black Lives Matter' protests, and the renaming of military bases called after Confederate officers.
He's also said the decision to fly the Confederate flag, seen by many as a racist symbol, is one of 'freedom of speech' after lashing out at NASCAR for banning it from its racing events.
'I view it as freedom of speech,' he told NexStarDC's Jessi Turnure in an interview Tuesday. 'It's freedom of speech. You do what you do. It's freedom of speech. And NASCAR can do whatever they want and they've chosen to go a certain way and other people chose to go a different route. But it's freedom of speech.'
The White House has argued that if military bases are renamed and statues are removed, it will be a slippery slope to figures like George Washington being 'erased.' Washington was a slave-owner, as was Thomas Jefferson.
Trump addressed these themes during his speech on July 3rd at Mount Rushmore, with the faces of Washington and Jefferson on the sculpture behind him.
'Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities,' he said.
'Many of these people have no idea why they're doing this, but some know exactly what they're doing,' he continued.
'They think the American people are weak and soft and submissive,' he said.
'But no, the American people are strong and proud and they will not allow our country and all of its values, history and culture to be taken from them,' he said, raising his voice.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany at her briefing on Monday denied a 'culture war'
President Trump painted a dark picture of the Black Lives Matter protests that have rocked the nation by saying they were a product of the 'left-wing cultural revolution' meant to overthrow the American Revolution during a speech at Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore is illuminated in the backdrop as President Trump condemns the recent spat of protests over the death George Floyd. He promised the national monument would never be touched by angry protesters
The president also took on 'cancel culture,' calling it the 'very definition of totalitarianism.'
He called the left's version of history a 'a web of lies.'
And he talked about each of the presidents who appeared on Mount Rushmore over his head: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.
'No movement that seeks to dismantle these treasured American legacies can possibly have a love of America at its heart' he said.
Black Lives Matter protesters have focused on tearing down statues, mainly of Confederate figures, because of their links to white supremacy.
Fireworks explode above the Mount Rushmore National Monument during Friday's Independence Day event
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are seen arriving at Friday's Mount Rushmore event as a flyover goes over
The president has latched on to the destructive part of the movement - and liberals' calls to 'defund the police' - to craft a message palatable to his predominantly white base.
Trump also announced he was creating a new monument, called the 'national garden of American heroes,' which he described as a 'vast outdoor park that will features the statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived.'
And the president vowed to deploy federal law enforcement 'to protect our monuments, arrest the rioters and prosecute offenders to the furthest extent of the law.'
He promised Mount Rushmore, which loomed above him - and would serve as a backdrop for fireworks after his speech - would never be touched.
Donald Trump says 'we ARE in a culture war' and tells Republicans to 'toughen up and fight for our heritage' - as his campaign discusses having statutes at his rallies
![Donald Trump says 'we ARE in a culture war' and tells Republicans to 'toughen up and fight for our heritage' - as his campaign discusses having statutes at his rallies]()
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July 09, 2020
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