WASHINGTON, DC, United States (AP) — President Donald Trump said yesterday that his Administration will “not even consider” changing the name of any of the 10 army bases that are named for Confederate Army officers.

Name changes have not been proposed by the army or the Pentagon, but on Monday, Esper and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy indicated in response to questions from reporters that they were “open to a bipartisan discussion” of renaming bases such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Benning in Georgia.

Supporters of disassociating military bases from Confederate army officers argue that they represent the racism and divisiveness of the Civil War era and glorify men who fought against the United States.

The US military recently began rethinking its traditional connection to Confederate army symbols, including the Army base names, mindful of their divisiveness at a time the nation is wrestling with questions of race after the death of George Floyd in police hands.

David Petraeus, a retired four-star army general, said the renaming move, which he supports, amounts to a “war of memory”, and that before deciding to rename bases like Fort Bragg, where he served with the 82nd Airborne Division, the Army must be ready to follow its own procedures for such change.