Al Sharpton dropped a sharp response to Donald Trump‘s Fort Bragg “joke” during Sunday’s interview with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace. Speaking to TMZ, Sharpton didn’t mince words when it came to changing the names of bases, removing statues and Trump’s comments.
The only way it makes sense, and it’s hard to make sense of a non-sensible person, is that I’ve been very public in advocating the changing of the names of these bases and bringing down the statues of Confederate generals,” Sharpton said, noting he has TV ads that Trump may have watched. “I would like to school him. I was never in the military and usually you name the military bases after military people. To name them after traitors in the military, like Fort Bragg for example, is something that should be abhorrible to any president of the United States.”
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“I don’t care what the military says” — Trump dismisses military’s support for renaming bases named after Confederate generals pic.twitter.com/ICGy2GTnXn
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 19, 2020
Sharpton says Trump should think about renaming the bases after the Tuskegee soldiers or black soldiers served at the base under segregation. He also made it clear that he was in Trump’s mind for a specific reason.
“I think that it was failed sarcasm and I think it was because I’m usually the one that stands up to him on racial issues, whether it was birtherism or the Central Park 5 or on these statues. And when he thinks race, I’m one of the names that comes to him because like a flea that won’t get out of his eye, I’ve been the racial person that has been all in his eyes for decades about his bigotry and his racism.”
He also adds that Trump is fine and supportive of the Confederate flag debate because he is “a bigot,” noting that he used to give him the benefit of the doubt throughout their long relationship but now he sees bigotry is the only possible motivation.
The moment during the Chris Wallace interview is one of many that drew considerable criticism for his stance on the names, his feelings toward the military moving to change the names themselves, and then capping it with the remark about Sharpton.
“I’m supposed to make the decision,” Trump told the Fox News newsman. “Fort Bragg is a big deal. We won two World Wars. No one even knows General Bragg. We won two World Wars. Go to that community where Fort Bragg is, in a great state, I love that state, go to the community, say how do you like the idea of renaming Fort Bragg, and then what are we going to name it? We’re going to name it after the Rev. Al Sharpton? What are you going to name it, Chris, tell me what you’re going to name it?”
