Cartoon by Marian Kamensky

Trump says ‘we must build upon our heritage, not tear it down'

FOX: President Trump on Tuesday seemed to speak out against moves being taken by many cities and states to remove statues and monuments honoring the Confederacy, calling on the country to “build upon our heritage, not tear it down.”

Speaking during a ceremony where he signed an executive order on police reform, Trump’s comments come at a time when the country is going through a reckoning over racial injustice following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

Statues and monuments to Confederate soldiers and slave owners have been toppled – or are in the process of being torn down – not only across the country, but across the globe.

"Americans can achieve anything when we work together as one national family to go forward, we must seek cooperation, not confrontation,” Trump said. “We must build upon our heritage, not tear it down. And we must cherish the principles of America's founding as we strive to deliver safe, beautiful, elegant justice and liberty for all."

Trump’s sentiments, however, are not shared by a number of lawmakers – both Democrat and Republican – across the country.

Earlier this month, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, announced that the state will remove an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond’s prominent Monument Avenue.

The Lee statue is one of five Confederate monuments along Monument Avenue in Richmond – the former capital of the Confederacy. It has been the target of vandalism during protests in recent days over Floyd's death. The base of it was covered this week with graffiti, including messages that say "end police brutality” and “stop white supremacy.”