Trump Blasts Orange County Democrats Call to Rename John Wayne Airport After Resurfaced Interview

President Trump today called out the removal of historic names from buildings across the country in a tweet where he cited Princeton dropping the name of Woodrow Wilson from their policy center.

He then mentioned how “Do Nothing Democrats want to take off the name John Wayne from an airport.” He said that the moves were “incredible stupidity!”

Can anyone believe that Princeton just dropped the name of Woodrow Wilson from their highly respected policy center. Now the Do Nothing Democrats want to take off the name John Wayne from an airport. Incredible stupidity!

Can anyone believe that Princeton just dropped the name of Woodrow Wilson from their highly respected policy center. Now the Do Nothing Democrats want to take off the name John Wayne from an airport. Incredible stupidity!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2020

According to CBS Los Angeles, the Orange County Democrats asked Chapman professor Fred Smoller to speak on their behalf about the request and he gave a statement.

“John Wayne’s statue is our county’s confederate monument in the same ways that those monuments are coming down across the nation, I believe his monument should be removed and the airport returned to its original name which it had for 41 years, the Orange County Airport,” he said.

From CBS Los Angeles:

Orange County Democrats are calling on the OC Board of Supervisors to change the name of John Wayne Airport, citing the late Hollywood star’s “white supremacist, anti-LGBT, and anti-Indigenous views.”

The resolution, issued on Friday, also calls for the airport’s original name, Orange County Airport, to be reinstated.

OC Democrats referred to Wayne’s famous 1971 interview with Playboy Magazine.

In that interview, Wayne said, “I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people.”

He also said that he didn’t condone slavery, but: “I don’t feel guilty about the fact that five or 10 generations ago these people were slaves.”

The famous film cowboy also made controversial comments about Native Americans in the interview.

“I don’t feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them. … [O]ur so-called stealing of this country from them was just a matter of survival,” he said. “There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.”

The OC Democratic Party says the resolution is part of a “national movement to remove white supremacist symbols and names… [that produce] lasting physical and psychological stress and trauma, particularly to Black communities.”

Airport officials have declined to comment, saying it’s up to the board of supervisors to decide on any name change.