Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized Taking down Confederate statues in a recent interview, he argued that people they respect may have “other qualities.”
Speaking on “Friday”.Timcast IRLpodcast, Kennedy described a “visceral reaction to this devastating history.”
“I don’t like it,” he told conservative podcaster Tim Poole. “I think we should celebrate who we are. And that, you know, we should celebrate the good qualities of everybody.”
Kennedy also referred to “heroes without slaves in the Confederacy,” but he later praised slaveholder Robert E. Lee, suggesting that Lee, the Confederate’s top general, displayed “extraordinary leadership qualities” and warranted recognition.
“We have to be able to be sophisticated enough to live with our ancestors who didn’t agree with us on everything and did things that are now considered immoral or wrong because, you know, maybe they had other qualities,” Kennedy said.
A spokesman for the Kennedy campaign did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday night.
Former President Donald Trump opposed the removal of Confederate statues and monuments while in office. calling their removal “stupid”. And so will Trump in 2020 opposed the attempt Renaming Army bases that honor Confederate generals.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden supported the attempt to change the namesaid in a statement at the time that “the names affixed to our military facilities should honor the diverse legacies of leadership and sacrifice throughout our country’s history.”
Kennedy’s candidacy is considered more of a threat to Trump’s campaign than Biden’s re-election. NBC News survey held last month.