Former President Donald Trump bizarrely claimed that if he loses Pennsylvania, “they” will change the state’s name.
Trump made the claim in a speech to thousands of members of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Friday night.
“We have to win in November, or we’re not going to have Pennsylvania. They’ll change the name. They’re going to change the name of Pennsylvania,” Trump said.
“All over the country, they’re taking the name of George Washington off high schools and other things,” he said. “That’s one even I thought was safe. Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Their names are now in danger.”
In recent years, there have been moves across the United States to address the country’s racist past by renaming places named after controversial historical figures, particularly those with ties to slavery and the Confederacy.
In a controversial move in 2021, the San Francisco school board voted to rename 44 schools, including George Washington and Abraham Lincoln High Schools.
There have been no notable moves to change the state’s name, and it is unclear what Trump was referring to.
“No, we are going to have to win. You’re not going to have a country anymore, you’re not going to have a state anymore, you’re not going to have anything,” Trump concluded.
Meanwhile, Trump reiterated his commitment to defending the rights of gun owners and protecting Second Amendment rights, if reelected, to the NRA membership.
“I promise you this, with me at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, no one will lay a finger on your firearms — just as took place for four years when I was your president,” he said.
President Joe Biden was born in Pennsylvania and won the state against Trump in the 2020 election.
Trump had previously won the state in 2016, marking the first time a Republican candidate had won it since 1988.
The latest polls show the two likely presdiential candidates neck and neck in the state.
