Rep. Adam Kingzinger reacts after President Trump signs executive order to protect monuments
Rep. Adam Kingzinger told 'Fox & Friends Weekend' that the American people need to call for the protection of U.S. historical symbols
Americans need to join President Trump in calling for protection of the nation's historical monuments, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said Saturday.
Kinzinger, appearing on "Fox & Friends Weekend," said protesters shouldn't be granted the power to topple statues and monuments, effectively erasing part of our history.
"So, here's the bottom line," he said.. "We live in a democracy. In a democracy, it takes a group of people -- a majority -- to make a decision about what this country does, what laws it passes.
"When you go out and you deface a monument because you are 20 years old, you grew up in your parent's basement, and you’ve had so much angst in your life never having to actually defend the country ... when you do that, you make a decision for the rest of us. And, you began to make a decision about what we want to see in our history.
"And, when you erase that, you forget the lessons that we have worked so hard -- men and women in the military, the American people -- to overcome," Kinzinger said. "And the president has done the right thing on this, for sure."
TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO PROTECT AMERICAN MONUMENTS, MEMORIALS AND STATUES
In the weeks following the death of George Floyd, a black man, under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer, nationwide protests took over city streets amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The targeting of confederate monuments and statues embroiled with controversy came next, with some felled at the hands of Black Lives Matter protesters and others by local governments sensitive to claims of racial injustice.
On Friday, Trump signed an executive order to protect U.S. monuments.
“I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues - and combatting recent Criminal Violence,” Trump tweeted. “Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!”
Kinzinger blamed Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for fanning the flames of unrest and siding "with the people defacing monuments."
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"I will tell you, the Republicans in the House and all over government are going to continue to speak out," he said.
"And, the American people need to speak out on this, too. And make it clear that they want their history protected."