{"id":3790,"date":"2026-06-25T05:34:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T05:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=3790"},"modified":"2026-06-25T05:34:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T05:34:33","slug":"is-trump-celebrating-the-country-or-himself-on-americas-250th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=3790","title":{"rendered":"Is Trump celebrating the country, or himself, on America\u2019s 250th?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n It was almost as if the last 250 years never happened.\n <\/p>\n

\n President Donald Trump kicked off celebrations for America\u2019s semi-quincentennial on Wednesday night in a speech which implied that the nation\u2019s greatness at this landmark moment was largely thanks to him.\n <\/p>

Read more Senate walks back rebuke of Trump over Iran war<\/a><\/p>\n

\n After military jets ripped through the sky over the National Mall, and the \u2018President\u2019s own\u2019 Marine band played patriotic hits, Trump emerged on stage, serenaded by Lee Greenwood, and his campaign anthem \u201cGod Bless the USA.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n In a more normal time, a president might have chosen to mark the milestone with a rumination on America\u2019s attempts to honor its founding promise, on its failings, grasps for redemption and of the journey still to come.\n <\/p>\n

\n But a president who sought to reshape the nation\u2019s story as told by some of its greatest museums, seemed more concerned with his personal place in history.\n <\/p>\n

\n This seemed especially discordant when Trump\u2019s popularity is plunging. He\u2019s at 36%approvalin the latest CNN Poll of Polls \u2014 meaning that a majority of citizens oppose him, at an especially resonant moment of American history.\n <\/p>\n

\n After a nod to the glorious deeds and timeless values of the Declaration of Independence, Trump fast forwarded to the present, declaring \u201cAmerica is back\u201d and claiming he\u2019d rescued a \u201cdead country\u201d in less than two years. Then he peeled off a list of his achievements, real or exaggerated, comparing them to the \u201ctotal disaster\u201d of the Biden administration.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe are in the golden age,\u201d Trump declared.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump confirms the fears of his critics\n<\/h2>\n

\n It\u2019s hardly a surprise that the president adopted such a partisan tone. He\u2019d reacted furiously to a string of performing artists pulling out of the event \u2014 to open a Great American State Fair \u2014 because they believed it had become politicized and vowed to double down with a campaign rally. His decision played into the criticism of opponents who\u2019ve long warned the president wants to turn America\u2019s 250th Birthday into a celebration of himself.\n <\/p>\n

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\nPresident Donald Trump stands on stage after speaking at the opening of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, June 24, in Washington, DC.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n One such critic, Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin, complained in a statement that \u201cas Americans come together to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the nation\u2019s founding, Donald Trump is doing what he does best: blowing money on flashy, Trump-themed events while forcing Americans to foot the bill.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n That Trump made no effort to prove Martin wrong, was revealing of his character, a political method that has long been more about dominance than seeking to build bridges across divides, and perhaps hints at his eventual place in history.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump\u2019s remarks were warmly welcomed by a crowd that seemed mostly made up of admirers. In another context, this would be just fine. The president was elected twice. There\u2019s no disputing he spoke for tens of millions of people who believed the political system and the economy had left them behind and that culturally and socially the country was leaning too far left. Many achievements, he laid out Wednesday, are popular with his fans, including securing the southern border and a new tax cutting law. Whatever their views about the war in Iran, most Americans would join in his praise for the military.\n <\/p>\n

\n And some residents of Washington, DC, an overwhelmingly liberal city, also appreciate his efforts to make their streets safer, and his clean-up of statues, even if they cringe at his farcical renovation of the Reflecting Pool on the Mall and his proposed triumphal arch.\n <\/p>\n

\n Yet millions of Americans celebrating the country 250 years after the Declaration of Independence are not MAGA voters. Presidents, while elected by partisans also have a higher civic role at significant national observances.\n <\/p>

Read more Senate walks back rebuke of Trump over Iran war<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Wednesday night\u2019s speech was not Trump\u2019s last word on America\u2019s birthday. He said \u201cyour favorite president\u201d will be speaking on the Mall on July Fourth, so he may still try to bring the country together.\n <\/p>\n

\n But one test of his kickoff event was whether a citizen who is not a committed Trump admirer would feel welcome. His celebration of self, his touting of controversial policies like the war in Iran, the crushing of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and ICE officers who conducted migrant raids suggest the answer is no.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump\u2019s jarring comment on the founders\n<\/h2>\n

\n Many Americans would take offense at a president whose power grabs have often tested the Constitution, and who affects monarchical airs in comparing himself to the founders who launched a revolution against a tyrannical king.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cJust like those patriots of 1776 over the past 17 months, we have taken power back from the far-off political class,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWe have reclaimed our sovereignty, regained our liberty, restored our prosperity, and we have saved our country in all things.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump\u2019s tone contrasted with the attitude of the last White House to mark an Independence milestone.\n <\/p>\n

\n At the bicentennial in 1976, President Gerald Ford largely avoided politics. His then senior aide David Gergen counseled in a White House memo that while anniversary events would of \u201cnecessity deal with political and economic principles and institutions, there should be no campaign codewords or partisan insinuations whatsoever.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

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\nPresident Donald Trump speaks with reporters as Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., from left, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., listen on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Jacquelyn Martin\/AP<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n Trump is not marking the 250th anniversary of independence in a vacuum. He\u2019s less than two years into one of the most aggressive attempts by a president to exert executive power. His sense that his authority should be unchallenged was underscored a few hours before he spoke, in an acrimonious meeting with Republican senators when he seethed at members who voted to curtail his war powers after the Iran conflict. He also demanded Congress pass a sweeping voter registration bill that many critics argue would curtail democratic freedoms traced back to the revolution.\n <\/p>\n

\n The Great American State fair \u2014 hosted on the National Mall \u2014 is meant to showcase the richness of the entire country \u2014 even if a handful of Democratic-run states have pulled out. But Trump\u2019s speech had a more narrow focus.\n <\/p>\n

\n An event celebrating the nation\u2019s progress since 1776, might have been expected to highlight leaders across the political spectrum, to showcase the nation\u2019s multiplicity of races, faiths, cultures and opinions, in an affirmation of bedrock foundational principles that supersede contemporary political concerns. But Trump instead, only introduced members of his Cabinet, who\u2019ve often distinguished themselves with public displays of loyalty to him as well as Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.\n <\/p>\n

\n Reinforcing this sense of exclusion, he ended, not with the words of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or John Adams, but with the refrain familiar from hundreds of his own campaign rallies.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cTonight we prepare to enter our 250th year. We are more determined than ever to remember these phrases \u2026. We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again, and we will make America great again.\u201d\n <\/p>

Read more New polls show Americans\u2019 complicated feelings about the country, 250 years on<\/a><\/p>\n

\n \u201cHappy birthday, America.\u201d\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was almost as if the last 250 years never happened.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nIs Trump celebrating the country, or himself, on America\u2019s 250th? - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=3790\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Trump celebrating the country, or himself, on America\u2019s 250th? - Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It was almost as if the last 250 years never happened.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=3790\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-25T05:34:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/533953f52426f8a2ec0d8a7a1ab76b44.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"511\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=3790#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=3790\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\"},\"headline\":\"Is Trump celebrating the country, or himself, on America\u2019s 250th?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-25T05:34:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=3790\"},\"wordCount\":1236,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=3790#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/834a12b7dd26595c522cfd1c9cb37ab3.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=3790#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=3790\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=3790\",\"name\":\"Is Trump celebrating the country, or himself, on America\u2019s 250th? 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