White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany shot down a reporter’s question on whether President Trump is glad the South lost the Civil War.
During a press briefing on Monday, Ryan Lizza, chief Washington correspondent for Politico, introduced his questions by mentioning the national discussion around statues and flags that commemorate the Confederacy.
“I think a lot of people are trying to understand what his view of memorializing the Confederacy is and the proper place of the Confederate flag,” he said. “Does President Trump believe that it was a good thing that the South lost the Civil War?”
“Well, your first question is absolutely absurd. He’s proud of the United States of America,” McEnany responded, quickly moving on to speaking about statues across the country that have been torn down or vandalized.
Lizza also asked if the president had any plans to ban the Confederate flag from his rallies.
“That would be a question for his campaign,” McEnany said.
Conversations about race and Confederate symbols have pervaded the national dialogue in recent weeks after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody late last month. Confederate statues around the United States have been removed, and NASCAR decided to ban the display of Confederate flags at its events.
