Donald Trump warned supporters in North Carolina that Democrats want to strip away their "history" and vowed to install a "patriotic education" in America's schools – even though such decisions are up to local and state officials.
"You know what I'm talking about: patriotic education," he told a rally in Winston-Salem. "Well, the first thing they want to do is they want to take your history away."
The crowd chanted "U-S-A" loudly, drawing admiration from Mr Trump, who called them "activists".
"That's why the monuments and statues, they want to knock them down," he said. "They take away your heroes. They take away your generals. They take away your past."
He was referring to Democratic officials across the country responding to protests and other social movements demanding changes after a number of black people in recent months have died while interacting with police officers, mostly white.
"They're never taking away our past," he declared, also oddly saying Democrats "take away your guts". The latter remark apparently meant figures he cited like Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Confederate commander Robert E Lee giving conservatives a feeling of strength.
The president has also resisted moves to rename US forts named after Confederate generals.
