Trump says US civil war ‘could have been negotiated’

(CNN) — Former US President Donald Trump suggested on Saturday that the civil war could have been avoided through “negotiation”, arguing that the fight to end slavery in the country was ultimately unnecessary and that Abraham Lincoln should have done more to avoid bloodshed.

“There were so many mistakes. Look, there was something that I think could have been negotiated, frankly,” Trump said at a campaign event in Newton, Iowa. “I think it could have been negotiated. All the people died. Many people died.”

The former president’s comments come a week before the first caucus — the primary — in Iowa, where he has significant leads in the polls over his closest rivals, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Florida Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina.

The Civil War has emerged as an unlikely talking point among Republican Party priorities. More than a week before Trump’s remarks, Haley answered a question about the cause of the Civil War without mentioning slavery, the driving force behind the war. He has since backtracked, saying repeatedly that he thought the facts were self-evident.

Trump’s comments were not made in response to or in reference to Haley.

In fact, there were a number of attempts before the Civil War began to reach an agreement to save the Union. But the fate of slavery in the South could not be resolved by compromise or agreement, and the nation went to war with itself. Trump did not say how he would avoid the conflict, which he also called “very scary but very attractive.”

“It was, I don’t know, it was just different,” Trump said of the battle. “I find it… I’m so fascinated to see it.”

After describing the injuries suffered by soldiers on the battlefield, Trump said, “There’s nothing good about it,” adding that the war was “tough on our country.”

He also suggested that Lincoln would not have had the same historical prestige “had he negotiated”.

Former Republican Representative Liz Cheney criticized Trump’s stance on social media, asking how Republicans who supported the former president “could possibly defend this.”

What part of the civil war could have been ‘negotiated’? Part of slavery? The separation part? Should the link preserve the union? Cheney wrote. “Question for members of the Republican Party — the party of Lincoln — who have supported Donald Trump: How is this possible to defend?”

Modern Republicans traditionally point to Lincoln as a hero — a Republican hero — for his role in preserving the Union when the South tried to leave the fold instead of ending slavery.