Among Donald Trump’s most prized possessions are his golf courses. In total, he has 17 golf courses that span the globe, many of them with buildings and monuments of grandeur, but you don’t need me to tell you that. One monument that has recently come to light is one dedicated to the “River of Blood” on the Potomac River, a site at which, “Many great American soldiers, both of the North and South… The casualties were so great that the water would turn red and thus became known as the ‘River of Blood.” Though his interest in preserving American history is a step in the right direction, the “River of Blood” monuments is not. Not only did no battle happen at this site, the Potomac did not turn red from blood, ever.
Erected in 2014, this monument stands on Trump’s D.C. golf course, about 12 miles away from any real battle site. In 2015, the New York Times covered the monument after contacting a local historian who confirmed that no such thing ever took place during the Civil War. The Times reached out to Trump for comment, to which he replied, “How would they know? Were they there?” He went on to explain that, since it was a “prime spot for river crossings” it was likely that someone was shot there, so it makes sense. Though it’s been confirmed that there was, indeed, river crossings at this site, never were there so many casualties that the river turned red.
This monument tells us that his fascination with the Civil War (and alternative facts) is not a new phenomenon. He has most recently come under fire for asserting that the Civil War entirely was an avoidable ordeal, and that, more specifically, it could have been avoided by none other than Andrew Jackson. In the same interview, he asked why the Civil War even happened; you really can’t make these things up.
“Why was there the Civil War? Why could that one not have been worked out?”
Trump’s monument to the fake battle lies between the 14th hole and 15th tee, at his D.C. course if you’re ever in town and want to see for yourself. It’s no Mar a Lago, but I’m sure the views are quite nice, and we need as much documentation of the monument as we can get before he takes it down and insists it never existed.
