Trump Hails Robert E. Lee In Minnesota, State That Lost Thousands To Confederate Troops
President Donald Trump hailed Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee during a campaign rally in Minnesota, a state that lost thousands of soldiers to Confederate troops in the Civil War.
Trump, apparently unaware of the state’s sacrifice in the Civil War, hailed Lee during a speech in Bemidji on Friday as a “great general” who “won many, many battles in a row.”
"[Lincoln] was getting beaten a lot by Robert E Lee. They want to rip down his statue all over the place ... he would have won except for Gettysburg ... these were incredible things" -- Trump praises the top general who fought on behalf on slavery pic.twitter.com/7dnzZ9nQJV
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 19, 2020
Some 2,500 Minnesota soldiers lost their lives to battles and disease as they fought against slavery and to protect the Union.
“Had [Lee] won, we would be two countries,” state Sen. Jerry Newton, a veteran who served in the Vietnam War and in the Middle East, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Saturday. “That’s just unconscionable for me, for him to make those statements.”
Trump’s praise for Lee “hurt for those of us who have served and who have lost friends in the service,” Newton added.
The state senator’s great-grandfather fought for the Union against treasonous Confederate troops before moving to Minnesota, where he settled down using land grants offered to Civil War veterans.
Trump claimed at his rally that he would protect monuments to Lee. There are none in Minnesota. But a historical museum does display a Confederate flag that state troops captured from the enemy.
Ken Martin, chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, said in a statement that “the blood, sweat, and sacrifice of Minnesota’s brave soldiers helped turn the tide at Gettysburg ... We will not allow Donald Trump to divide us and insult our state’s proud legacy.”
Minnesota soldiers played a key role on the bloody fields of Gettysburg.
Minnesota Gov. Alexander Ramsey was...
