Trump wants Confederates’ names back on army bases, including 3 in Central Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- President Donald Trump wants to return the names of Confederates to several U.S. Army bases, including three in Central Virginia.

On Tuesday, June 10, Trump was set to speak at Fort Bragg in North Carolina in honor of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. During his speech, he spoke on a variety of current events, including the ongoing protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles, California.

Trump also announced his intent to restore the names of Confederate leaders to several military bases. In recent years, these bases were renamed after other military figures.

"We won a lotta battles out of those forts," he said. "It's no time to change -- and I'm superstitious, you know? I like to keep it going."

You can watch the full clip of Trump's comments below.

Three of the seven renamed forts Trump mentioned are located in Central Virginia. This includes Fort Gregg-Adams, Fort Walker and Fort Barfoot.

Located in Prince George County, what was once Fort Lee was renamed Fort Gregg-Adams in April 2023. The previous name is that of Confederate commander Robert E. Lee. The current name comes from two Black army pioneers: Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams. In Aug. 2024, Gregg passed away at the age of 96.

Fort Walker, previously Fort A.P. Hill, is located in Caroline County. It was renamed in August 2023, with Civil War surgeon and Medal of Honor recipient Mary Walker as its namesake. Its previous name was taken from Ambrose Powell Hill, Jr., a Confederate general.

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Fort Barfoot, located in Nottoway County, was renamed after Van T. Barfoot -- a World War II hero and Medal of Honor recipient -- in March 2023. Prior to this renaming, it was known as Fort Pickett, named after Confederate general George Edward Pickett.

All of these new names were recommended by a panel of former military officials in 2022.

The four other forts Trump named include:

• Fort Cavazos in Texas
  • Renamed after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a Texas native and the U.S. Army's first Hispanic four-star general
  • Previously named Fort Hood after Confederate general John Bell Hood
• Fort Eisenhower in Georgia
  • Renamed after World War II veteran and former president Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • Previously named Fort Gordon after Confederate general and former Georgia senator John Brown Gordon
• Fort Novosel in Alabama
  • Renamed after Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel, an aviator and Medal of Honor recipient
  • Previously named Fort Rucker after Confederate colonel Edmund Rucker
• Fort Johnson in Louisiana
  • Renamed after World War I veteran William Henry Johnson
  • Previously named Fort Polk after Confederate general Leonidas Polk

The renaming of these forts was carried out following an act of Congress in 2020. It also included the renaming of Fort Benning and Fort Bragg -- where Trump made this announcement -- but those names have since been restored.

Notably, it costs tens of millions of dollars to make the initial name changes.