Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith posed for a photo wearing a Confederate soldier's hat and holding a rifle in a Facebook post that surfaced Tuesday.

Hyde-Smith took the photo during a 2014 visit to the Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library. "Mississippi history at its best!" Hyde-Smith exclaimed.


Davis was the president of the Confederacy during the Civil War, and his former estate now includes a library and museum in his honor.

"I enjoyed my tour of Beauvoir. The Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library located in Biloxi," Hyde-Smith wrote. "This is a must see. Currently on display are artifacts connected to the daily life of the Confederate Soldier including weapons. Mississippi history at its best!"

The photo comes as Hyde-Smith is under fire after saying during a campaign stop earlier this month that she would gladly attend a "public hanging" if one of her supporters invited her. She is running against Democrat Mike Espy, who is African-American, in a Nov. 27 runoff.

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President Donald Trump defended the senator Tuesday, dismissing her comments as a joke. Responding to reporters as he left the White House for Florida, Trump said he was still confident Hyde-Smith would win.


"She made a statement, which I know she feels badly about it, and it was just sort of said in jest," Trump said. "She is a tremendous woman and it is a shame that she has to go through this."

Hyde-Smith shared four photos from the museum visit, including her posing in the Confederate hat, and other photos of her holding a rifle and sword from the museum.

Several companies, including Walmart, have requested that their donations to Hyde-Smith's campaign be refunded because of her "public hanging" comment, which she said was a joke. Walmart donated $2,000 to Hyde-Smith's campaign on Nov. 18.

"Sen. Hyde-Smith’s recent comments clearly do not reflect the values of our company and associates," the retail giant tweeted Tuesday morning. "As a result, we are withdrawing our support and requesting a refund of all campaign donations."

