Trump pledges to rename Army base after Confederate general

Donald Trump says that North Carolina’s Fort Liberty would once again become Fort Bragg if he’s reelected — less than two years after the base was renamed to remove the name of a Confederate general as part of efforts to reckon with the legacy of racism.

Trump, who opposed the change as president, pledged to restore Fort Bragg’s name during a town hall Friday in the nearby city of Fayetteville, home to many troops and veterans.

“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,” the former president said after taking a question about missile defense from a man who identified himself as an active duty soldier at the base.

The military renamed nine installations, including Fort Bragg, as part of a 2021 congressionally mandated process to remove the names of Confederate soldiers that followed widespread social justice protests after the murder by police of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The North Carolina base was named for Gen. Braxton Bragg, who enslaved people in addition to being a Confederate general with a reputation for battlefield failure.

Fort Bragg and other bases in the south were named for Confederates before and during World War I to build support for the conflict in the South, according to the Department of Defense.

Trump, while in office, vetoed a bipartisan military spending bill in part because it included a recommendation to change the name of Fort Bragg and eight other installations. Congress overrode the veto and Fort Liberty was adopted at the recommendation of a commission following a public comment period.

Former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called for restoring the name Fort Bragg during the Republican primary.

Trump also pledged other changes in the military if reelected.

“We have a great military, and we have a military that’s not woke,” he said. “You may have a few people at the top who are woke, and we’re going to get rid of them so damn fast your head is gonna spin.”