Former President Donald Trump was putting on his historian cap during an event in Iowa on Saturday, as he suggested that the Civil War could have ended at the negotiation table.
Trump’s comments came as he continues to campaign across Iowa ahead of the 2024 Iowa Caucus.
During his speech in Newton, Iowa, Trump discussed the Civil War, saying that the fight to end slavery in the country was ultimately unnecessary and that former President Abraham Lincoln could have done more to avoid bloodshed.
“So many mistakes were made. See, there was something I think could have been negotiated, to be honest with you,” Trump said. “I think you could have negotiated that. All the people died. So many people died.”
The former president isn’t the first Republican nominee hopeful to discuss the Civil War, as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was criticized for her remarks about the war when she was asked what caused the fighting.
Haley didn’t mention the fight to end slavery in her answer, sparking criticism from many, though she has since backtracked and said she thought it went without saying.
However, the remarks from the former president were not a response to Haley’s comments on the war, instead just off-the-cuff remarks made during his event.
While he said negotiations could have prevailed, Trump didn’t express how he would have handled the conflict, which he called “so horrible but so fascinating.”
“It was, I don’t know, it was just different,” Trump said of the war. “I just find it – I’m so attracted to seeing it.”
Trump also said that there was “nothing nice” about the war and that it was a “tough one for our country.”
When discussing his fellow former president, Trump argued that if Lincoln negotiated the conflict, he wouldn’t have the same historical prowess.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney, who is often outspoken about her dislike for Trump, called out his comments in a post on social media.
Cheney said she couldn’t understand how Republicans could “possibly defend this?”
“Which part of the Civil War ‘could have been negotiated’? The slavery part? The secession part? Whether Lincoln should have preserved the Union?” Cheney wrote. “Question for members of the GOP – the party of Lincoln – who have endorsed Donald Trump: How can you possibly defend this?”
One piece of history that Trump missed in his remarks was the fact that the Union did try negotiating with the Confederacy to end the war before the Hampton Roads Peace Conference. However, the Confederacy would not move to abolish slavery in the talks, resulting in the Civil War.