President Donald Trump on Sunday defied calls to change the name of Fort Bragg, ridiculing the “cancel culture” that swept the nation over the summer.
“By the way, we’re leaving the name Fort Bragg in case you had any questions,” he said. “Let that word out, if you don’t mind.”
The movement to change the names of military bases named after Confederate generals was revitalized over the summer with the George Floyd protests.
Former CIA Director and Retired Army General David Petraeus argued for a change in an article published in June in the Atlantic.
But Trump dismissed it as “cancel culture.”
“Cancel culture. Let’s cancel lets change everything,” he said mockingly, at his rally. “No.”
North Carolina supporters in the audience cheered.
“We won two World Wars out of Fort Bragg and other great places,” Trump said, defending the name of the fort.
President Trump praised America’s Special Forces noting the United States had rescued a record of 55 hostages and detainees from 24 countries during his first term.
“And we paid nothing,” Trump said.
He recalled Saturday’s successful operation by Seal Team Six in Nigeria to recover an American citizen who was kidnapped and held by armed men for money.
“This operation should serve as a stark warning to terrorists and thugs who try to kidnap our people, you cannot escape the long reach of the American military and American justice,” Trump said.