Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade has been blasted for appearing to equate 9/11 memorials with Confederate statues.

On the 16th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, Mr Kilmeade asked Ryan Zinke, Donald Trump’s secretary of the interior, if he’s worried that people 100 years from now are going to take down a 9/11 memorial “like they are trying remake our memorials today”.

Mr Kilmeade’s question was in response to Mr Zinke calling the Flight 93 memorial in rural Pennsylvania “magnificently done”.

The national memorial, located at the site of the crash of United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked in the attacks, is “an example of public-private partnerships, communities, and our National Parks System working together to commemorate, I would think, American heroes,” Mr Zinke said.

The question from Mr Kilmeade, a co-host of Fox & Friends, came as many cities across the South engage in heated debates over Confederate symbols. Critics of the symbols say the monuments are offensive relics of the region's racist past, while supporters assert they are part of history that should be preserved.

Violence broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia, last month after white supremacists and neo-Nazis gathered to protest the planned removal of a statue of the Confederate General Robert E Lee.

Following the bloody protests, the mayor of Richmond, Virginia, said the city’s towering Confederate monuments shouldn't be taken down, but instead be supplemented with historical context about why they were built.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

“Whether we like it or not, they are part of our history of this city, and removal would never wash away that stain,” Mayor Levar Stoney said in August, also calling the monuments “very offensive” to him.

Mr Trump took a slightly different stance: “Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments,” the President said in a series of tweets. “You can't change history, but you can learn from it.”

Mr Trump had been slammed earlier for equating the removal of Mr Lee’s statue to one of George Washington, and for suggesting that taking down Confederate statues could lead to the removal of memorials to the US's founding fathers.

On Monday, in response to Mr Kilmeade asking if 9/11 memorials would come down next, Mr Zinke said: “I’m one who believes, you know, that we should learn from history. And I think our monuments are a part of our country’s history.”