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President Donald J. Trump announced Tuesday that his administration will restore the original names of several U.S. Army bases that were renamed during the Biden presidency, calling the previous changes unnecessary and politically driven.
“For a little breaking news,” Trump said during a speech at Fort Bragg, “we are also going to be restoring the names to Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill, and Fort Robert E. Lee.”
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The crowd erupted in cheers and Trump continued: “We won a lot of battles out of those forts. It’s no time to change. And I’m superstitious. You know, I like to keep it going, right? I’m very superstitious. We want to keep it going.”
The seven bases were renamed in 2023 under a Pentagon directive carried out by the Biden administration, following a 2021 law passed by Congress.
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In response to Trump’s announcement, the U.S. Army released a statement defending the original decision. “The Army will take all necessary actions to change the names of seven Army installations in honor of heroic Soldiers who served in conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Battle of Mogadishu,” the statement said. “Five of them received the Medal of Honor, three received the Distinguished Service Cross and one received the Silver Star.”
Among the individuals honored under the Biden-era renamings: 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett, who received the Distinguished Service Cross for heroic action in World War II; Col. Robert B. Hood, also a Distinguished Service Cross recipient for valor in World War I; and Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu.
Others included Pvt. Fitz Lee, Gen. James H. Polk, Capt. Edward W. Rucker, and three Medal of Honor recipients: Lt. Col. Edward Hill, 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn, and Pvt. Bruce Anderson, honored at what was formerly Fort A.P. Hill.
“That’s a big story,” Trump said. “We just announced that today to you for the first time. They said, ‘Why didn’t you wait till Saturday?’ Said, ‘I can’t wait. I got to talk to my friends here today.’”
A military parade is scheduled for Saturday, June 14 in Washington, D.C.
The White House has confirmed the restoration of the Army base names to Fox News Digital.
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