A Civil War historian calls Donald Trump’s comments about Gettysburg at a crusade rally “unhinged. “
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, T. J. Stiles called the former president’s view of the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place July 1-3, 1863, and killed an estimated 51,000 people, “inarticulate” and “reductionist. “
“Gettysburg, what a war it was,” Trump said at a rally Saturday in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, in what was his first crusade in the war-torn state. “It was so, and so interesting, and so cruel and horrible, and so charming in so many other tactics — it was a very important component of this country’s good fortune,” he continued.
“Gettysburg, go, I’m going to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to see and observe,” he said. “And Robert E. Lee’s statement, which is no longer in favor, have you ever noticed?He’s not in favor anymore. ” Don’t ever fight uphill, boys, never fight uphill. They were fighting uphill, and he said, ‘Wow, that’s a big mistake,’ he lost his great general, ‘Never fight uphill, guys. ‘but it’s too late,” Trump added.
Stiles said Trump mentioned Pennsylvania to “flatter” the public and that his perspectives were “inarticulate and reductionist. “
He added that Trump’s investigation into Lee, a general who took part in the battle, was based on the fact that Lee was not known “for giving orders only downstream” and that his description of what happened was “disjointed, unbalanced. “
But let’s get back to the passive observer angle: Trump’s disjointed, disjointed portrayal of Lee is that of a wonderful general betrayed by his stupid troops. You would never know that he gave the orders for the crusade and the battle. He went on to say, “Pickett’s accusation that it’s all his fault. ItArray6/9
Newsweek reached out to a Trump representative via email for comment on this story.
Stiles is the only one who has commented on Trump’s speech. Author Stephen King, who is also an outspoken critic of Trump, wrote a viral tweet calling the Republican “weak. “
“Trump: ‘Gettysburg! What a dim, softer light bulb,” he wrote.
Trump: “Gettysburg! Wow!” What idiocy.
Trump has spoken about the Civil War in past events. Speaking at a rally in Iowa in January, the former president said the war “could have been negotiated” and therefore avoided. At the time, Trump did not recommend how he would have avoided the conflict, but said he found it “so horrifying, but at the same time so fascinating. “
Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes, the most of any swing state in the country. Trump won the swing state in 2016 with fewer than 45,000 votes against Hillary Clinton, but lost it to Biden in 2020, who won with about 80,000 votes.
Kate Plummer is a Newsweek journalist based in London, UK. He focuses on U. S. politics and national affairs, with a specific interest in the effect of social policy decisions on other people, as well as political campaign finance, corruption, foreign policy, democracy, and more. Prior to joining Newsweek, he covered British politics extensively. Kate joined Newsweek in 2023 from The Independent and has also been featured in a number of publications, including The Times and Daily Mail. She holds a B. A. in History from Oxford University and an MA in Magazine Journalism from City University, University of London.
Languages: English.
You can reach Kate by emailing k. plummer@newsweek. com or following her on X to @kateeplummer.