U.S. President Donald Trump is resisting a new rush to address police brutality and tear down Confederate symbols even as polls show most Americans believe changes are needed and many corporations — even NASCAR, with its conservative fan base — embrace a more proactive stance on issues of racial justice.
On the same day that Trump vowed he would never remove the names of Confederate generals from 10 American military bases that honor them, the auto racing league announced the Confederate battle flag was no longer welcome at its events.
Even Trump’s Senate Republican allies are ahead of the president, with some supporting an amendment to an annual defense bill that could lead to the renaming of the bases. The House Republican leader and Trump ally, Kevin McCarthy, said he would support the effort.