President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that his administration will restore the original names of several U.S. Army bases that were renamed during the Biden presidency. Speaking at Fort Bragg, Trump said the renaming effort was politically driven and unnecessary.
"For a little breaking news," Trump told the crowd, "we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Robert E. Lee." His announcement was met with loud applause and cheers.
"We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It’s no time to change. And I’m superstitious. You know, I like to keep it going, right? I’m very superstitious. We want to keep it going," Trump added, defending the legacy and tradition of the original base names.
The seven bases were renamed in 2023 under a Pentagon directive initiated by the Biden administration. The move followed a 2021 law passed by Congress aiming to replace Confederate-linked names with those honoring more diverse and distinguished U.S. military heroes.
In response to Trump’s remarks, the U.S. Army defended the renaming effort in a statement. "The Army will take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic Soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu," it read. "Five of them received the Medal of Honor, three received the Distinguished Service Cross and one received the Silver Star."
Among those honored in the Biden-era changes were 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, Col. Robert B. Hood, and Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, all decorated for valor in World War II, World War I, and the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, respectively. Other honorees included Pvt. Fitz Lee, Gen. James H. Polk, Capt. Edward W. Rucker, Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn, and Pvt. Bruce Anderson.
"That’s a big story," Trump said. "We just announced that today to you for the first time. They said, ‘Why didn’t you wait till Saturday?’ Said, ‘I can’t wait. I got to talk to my friends here today.’"
A military parade is scheduled for Saturday, June 14, in Washington, D.C., where further announcements may follow.