WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday he’ll issue an executive order to protect monuments that are coming under new scrutiny as America wrestles with racism during the unrest sparked by the police killing of George Floyd.
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Trump has been clear that he opposes the removal of monuments of leaders of the Confederacy or other distasteful aspects of American history.
Commenting as he departed the White House for a trip to Arizona, Trump said, “I will have an executive order very shortly, and all it’s really going to do is reinforce what’s already there, but in a more uniform way.”
At a time of nationwide protests over racial injustice and inequality, Trump has aligned himself squarely on the side of those who argue that the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of eliminating reminders of hated aspects of American history.
Trump had tweeted late Monday that those who tried to topple a statue of President Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House faced 10 years in prison under the Veterans Memorial Preservation Act.
“Beware,” he tweeted.
Jackson is one of Trump’s favorite presidents.
The federal statute Trump cites subjects anyone who willfully injures or destroys, or attempts to injure or destroy, any structure, plaque, statue or other monument on public property commemorating the service of any person or persons in the armed forces of the United States to fines, up to 10 years imprisonment or both.
Another meaningless Executive Order from Demented Donald. It will not change the existing laws against vandalism and is just another attempt at getting publicity.
He has not replaced Obamacare, but his administration contributed to the deaths of 120,000 Americans making America the world leader in both Covad infections and Covad deaths.
Some now call it the Trump virus.
He should. And it should be a serious federal crime to tamper with our nation’s history. Localities and others in authority may debate whether to remove these monuments. But the vandalism the thugs are committing is a heinous crime, and they should be caught and punished.