Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) advocated for keeping Confederate statues and namesakes to remember how far the United States has evolved from its history.
Hunt defended such memorials while on Real Time with Bill Maher Friday night. Host Bill Maher asked what he thought of such tributes as a black graduate of West Point, where he lived in the barracks named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who fought on behalf of the states that were seceding from the Union over the subject of slavery.
“I’ll never forget walking under the threshold of Robert E. Lee barracks and thinking to myself, d*** this is one hell of a country because only in America can someone like me walk into a building named after a Confederate general and then be a successful West Point graduate,” Hunt said. “If we start changing the names on buildings, then every single building would be named Jesus Christ based on perfection.”
We are not defined by the names on buildings or the faces carved in stone, we are defined by our unwavering resolve to fulfill the promise of America.
Tearing down statues and erasing history to appease a loud minority isn’t progress, it’s regression. Because when we erase… pic.twitter.com/s98DpMPecH
— Wesley Hunt (@WesleyHuntTX) June 21, 2025
“I do not want to take down these statues and change the names of these buildings because they’re a reminder of what was, and if we don’t remember it, we are doomed to repeat it,” Hunt said.
President Donald Trump has led an effort to maintain the historical names of several military bases. Fort Bragg, for example, which has been in operation since 1918, was briefly renamed Fort Liberty during the Biden administration. “Bragg” originally referred to Confederate general Braxton Bragg, which was controversial and ultimately caused the fort to be renamed in 2023. However, earlier this year, the Trump administration restored the Fort Bragg name, which now refers to Private First Class Roland L. Bragg, who was stationed at the fort during World War II.
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Other restored names include Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Robert E. Lee.
Washington, D.C., is fresh from celebrating the 250th anniversary of the military with a parade. Next year will be the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.