Trump laments removal of monuments and statues of Confederate

US President Donald Trump today lamented the removal of monuments and statues of Confederate Generals across the country, saying it makes him "sad" to see the history and culture of America being ripped apart.
Trump fired off a series of tweets in which he said it was a foolish thing to do.
"Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments. You can't change history, but you can learn from it," Trump tweeted.
While he did not mention confederate statutes, but his tweets were apparently referring to the increasing trend in the US to remove statues and monuments related to confederation.

It all started with the decision of the city council in Charlottesville to remove the statue of Robert R Lee, an American general known for commanding the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil war from 1862 until his surrender in 1865.
The White supremacists and neo-Nazis held a protest in Charlottesville against the removal of the statues, which was opposed by an equally strong protest from the other side, resulting in deadly violence over the weekend.

Trump has blamed both sides, resulting in hue and cry from his political opponents.
Across the country, there has been increasing demand to remove confederate statues and monuments, the proponent of whom claim that these are symbols of slavery.

For instance, the City of Baltimore yesterday took down four Confederate monuments overnight. Similar reports are coming from other parts of the country as well.
"Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson - who's next, Washington, Jefferson? So foolish! Also the beauty that is being taken out of our cities, towns and parks will be greatly missed and never able to be comparably replaced!" Trump said.
According to a report released by Southern Poverty Law Center, there are more than 1,500 confederate monuments and status across the country, including several of them inside the US Congress. There are parks, schools and army bases named after confederate leaders and generals.

Virginia has the maximum number of 223 Confederate symbols. States like Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama have more than 100 such statues and monuments.
In a statement, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe supported the move to remove all of them.
"As we attempt to heal and learn from the tragic events in Charlottesville, I encourage Virginia's localities and the General Assembly - which are vested with the legal authority - to take down these monuments and relocate them to museums or more appropriate settings," McAuliffe said.
"I hope we can all now agree that these symbols are a barrier to progress, inclusion and equality in Virginia and, while the decision may not be mine to make, I believe the path forward is clear," the Governor added.

A crowd of protesters in Durham, North Carolina brought down a confederate statues, while the Mayor or Lexington in Kentucky is taking actions to removal of two confederate era monuments from the city's former court house.
Congressman Bennie Thompson has called for permanent removal of all offensive and despicable Confederate imagery from the Capitol. There are about 10 such monuments within the US Capitol. Every State gets to install two statues there.
Officials said it is up to individual states to take a call on that. "Confederate memorabilia have no place in this country and especially not in the US Capitol," he said.

"These images symbolize a time of racial discrimination and segregation that continues to haunt this country and many African-Americans who still to this day face racism and bigotry," he added.