“They are not just innocent remembrances of a benign history,” said Landrieu. “These monuments purposefully celebrate a fictional, sanitized Confederacy; ignoring the death, ignoring the enslavement, and the terror that it actually stood for.”

It’s a lesson lost on the current American president, who chooses to inspire the worst of his countrymen.

📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief

Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.