--- title: Robert E. Lee Descendent Attacks Trump's Comments description: Trump called General Lee "a true great fighter and a great general" at a rally in Ohio on Friday. canonical: https://time.com/5424272/general-lee-descendent-trump-confederate/ author: Alejandro de la Garza article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-10-14T17:02:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:02:53.973Z article:section: Politics og:title: Robert E. Lee Descendent Attacks President Trump's Comments on Confederate General og:description: "Robert E. Lee fought for the continued enslavement of black bodies" og:url: https://time.com/5424272/general-lee-descendent-trump-confederate/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26ccd150e7a9933f/69893c9486f68e826e6ea6a8/screen-shot-2018-10-14-at-12-57-23-pm.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2656 og:image:height: 1494 og:image:alt: Screen Shot 2018-10-14 at 12.57.23 PM og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Robert E. Lee Descendent Attacks President Trump's Comments on Confederate General twitter:description: "Robert E. Lee fought for the continued enslavement of black bodies" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26ccd150e7a9933f/69893c9486f68e826e6ea6a8/screen-shot-2018-10-14-at-12-57-23-pm.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Robert E. Lee Descendent Attacks President Trump's Comments on Confederate General > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=15935479-2886-4806-b5e2-d442c5c58b3e&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump Praises Robert E. Lee as a Great General During a Rally in Ohio [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Praises Robert E. Lee as a Great General During a Rally in Ohio](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/r1sBLF8m.m3u8) (2:16)  _Published 2018-10-14. A descendent of Confederate General Robert E. Lee said that President Donald Trump’s comments about his ancestor were “far from the truth” in a video Saturday._  by [Alejandro de la Garza](https://time.com/author/alejandro-de-la-garza/)  ## Alejandro de la Garza Oct 14, 2018 5:02 PM UTC A descendent of Confederate General Robert E. Lee said that President Donald Trump’s comments about his ancestor were “far from the truth” in a video Saturday.  by [Alejandro de la Garza](https://time.com/author/alejandro-de-la-garza/)  ## Alejandro de la Garza Oct 14, 2018 5:02 PM UTC A descendent of Confederate General Robert E. Lee said that President Donald Trump’s comments about his ancestor were “far from the truth” in [a video Saturday](https://twitter.com/roblee4/status/1051085272375549952?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw). Rev. Robert Lee IV, who is the great-great-great-great-nephew of General Lee, tweeted out the message after Trump held a rally in Ohio Friday where, in complimenting the state as the birthplace to General Ulysses S. Grant, he said the Confederate general was “a true great fighter and a great general.” Lee’s video came in response to NBC news and other media outlets sharing [a video of Trump’s quote](https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1050901081537073155), which the President called out for being irresponsibly reported. “Robert E. Lee fought for the continued enslavement of black bodies,” Lee said in his Twitter video. “It was for states’ rights yes, but for states’ rights to own slaves.” > [](https://twitter.com/roblee4/status/1051085272375549952) “He is showing us he supports an idol of white supremacy and of hatred,” Lee said of Trump. The video gained popularity over the weekend and had accumulated over 7,000 retweets and almost 20,000 likes at the time of this writing. Lee had previously criticized his ancestor when he spoke at the [2017 MTV Video Music Awards](http://time.com/4917930/mtv-vmas-2017-political-moments/) following the violent clashes in Charlottesville, calling him an “idol of white supremacy, racism and hate.” President Trump said in a tweet Sunday that his comments Friday had been intentionally misinterpreted, and that his words were actually a “shoutout to warrior Grant.” > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1051471737068670977) President Trump has previously opposed the removal of[ public statues](http://time.com/4903671/charlottesville-robert-lee-confederate-monuments-history/) honoring Confederate figures including General Lee. > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/898169407213645824) > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/898171544236687361) ## Transcript [00:00] Also gave you a general [00:05] who was incredible. He drank a little bit too much. [00:08] [ LAUGH ] You know who I'm talking about, right? [00:13] So, Robert E Lee was a great general. And Abraham [00:18] Lincoln Developed a phobia, he couldn't beat [00:22] Robert Lee, he was going crazy I don't know if you [00:26] know the story but Robert Lee was wining battle after [00:30] battle after battle and Abraham Lincoln came home he [00:32] said I can't beat Robert Lee. And he had all of [00:36] these generals. They looked great. They were the top [00:39] of their class at West Point. They were the greatest [00:42] people. There's only one problem. They didn't know [00:46] how the hell to win. They didn't know how to fight. [00:48] They didn't know how. And one day, [00:53] it was looking really bad And Lincoln just said, [00:58] you hardly knew his name. And they said, don't [01:02] take him, he's got a drinking problem. [ LAUGH ] And [01:06] Lincoln said, I don't care what problem he has, you [01:09] guys aren't winning. [ LAUGH ] And his name [01:13] was Grant, General Grant. And [01:23] he went in and he knocked the hell out of everyone. [01:29] And you know the story. They said to Lincoln, " You [01:33] can't use him anymore ." He's an alcoholic. And [01:38] Lincoln said, I don't care if he's an alcoholic, frankly, [01:43] give me six or seven more just like him. He started [01:47] to win, Grant really did. He had a serious problem, a [01:51] serious drinking problem, but man, was he a good [01:54] general, and he's finally being recognized as a great [01:56] general. But lincoln had almost [02:01] developed a phobia because he was having a hard [02:03] time with a true great fighter the great Robert E. [02:08] Lee. But Grant figured it out and Grant is a great [02:12] general and Grant came from right here. 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