America’s 250th Survived Trump’s Sabotage
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
America Lives Abroad
by William Kristol
Well, it’s July 6. And I think I can say this with some confidence: Donald Trump tried to hijack our 250th anniversary, and he failed. Both the Declaration of Independence and our subsequent history turned out to be too weighty and too elevated to yield easily to Trump’s insane grandiosity and insistent mediocrity.
Before his July 3 speech at Mt. Rushmore, Trump posted a video that showed a kind of golden sculpture of the mountain, with his image added to those of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Trump’s voiceover on the video claimed, “I will be the greatest president for many, many years to come.” The president did protest too much, methinks. Deep down, or not even that deep down, he knows that in years to come, no one will think he is in their league. To say the least.
Then there was Trump’s July Fourth extravaganza. For all of his narcissism, even he knew it was a flop. As soon as he returned from the Mall, Trump turned frantically to Truth Social. He posted over 100 times on July 5, lauding his own achievements, attacking his opponents, and generally behaving like someone who sensed that the 250th anniversary, despite or because of his attempts to hijack it, made him look small. Former BBC foreign correspondent Nick Bryant , who covered American politics for decades, put it well : “On America’s 250th birthday, Donald Trump was dwarfed by history.”
And he was dwarfed by the World Cup. Trump’s 250th anniversary sport of choice was the ugly gladiatorial spectacle he hosted at the White House for his eightieth birthday on June 14. Three days later, the World Cup matches began throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. We’ve had three weeks of enjoyable and often memorable contests. Who now remembers the unpleasant cage matches on the South Lawn?
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Trump’s behavior over the weekend was also dwarfed by the example set by the first American pope. On July 3, Pope Leo XIV accepted a Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. He spoke live from the Vatican to a crowd gathered in front of Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted—and which Trump did not choose to visit.
As the chronicler of Pope Leo, Christopher Hale, points out , “The pope opened his remarks with a sentence no previous pope could have spoken: ‘As a son of this great country, founded by courageous men and women who dreamed of liberty and of a better life for themselves and for their children, I join you in asking God’s blessings upon America’s future.’” Leo continued by emphasizing that, in fulfillment of the Founders’ vision, America became “a byword for freedom, as the country opened its doors to successive waves of immigrants, enabling them and their children to play their part in shaping the future of the nation.”
On Independence Day itself, the Pope made a remarkable visit to the tiny Sicilian island of Lampedusa, where many migrants from Africa to Europe have landed—and in hopes of reaching which so many have perished. You can read Hale’s moving account of the pope’s visit and his remarks here .
I trust—but I also believe—that Leo’s vision of America will end up prevailing over Trump’s.
This evening, President Trump will fly to Ankara, Turkey, for the annual NATO summit. For more than 75 years, NATO has been a distinctive American contribution to world peace as well as being an instrument of American greatness. We’ll have to hope that Trump doesn’t do too much more damage to NATO or further embarrass the United States on the world stage.
But we’ll also be able to watch and listen to another president, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, who embodies the principles of NATO and really of the United States, better than our president. After the summit, a bipartisan congressional delegation will head to Hungary to meet with new Prime Minister Péter Magyar, a recent example of a fighter for liberal democracy prevailing over its antagonists. Needless to say, Trump won’t be there.
The American founders. The first American Pope. Zelensky and Magyar. It is their spirit that captures the true meaning of our 250th anniversary. It is their spirit, if I can adapt William Faulkner’s line from his 1950 Nobel Prize address, that will not only endure but will prevail.
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The fireworks were very good. I liked the way most of the rounds had an element where they lined up horizontally
Trump speech was 80% about Americas military accomplishments and virtually nothing about education, food production, the legal system, or of course civil rights and the existence of the indigenous. He had a few 100+ year old vets wheeled out and sit next to various historical flags, a couple of which were affixed to the wall backwards.
He claimed there were 175,000 people there, which is likely an impossibility , since the location seemed to be the same area where he gave his freedom 250 speech last week.
Trump once again proved that he is a national embarrassment. He ruined the nations birthday on the global stage, sad day/weekend for America.
From his "state fair" that no one attended, (even through trump the liar said 375,000 people attended), the stage and his archway falling apart, the partisan speeches where he did nothing but kiss his own ass, he tried to make it all about him, as usual, and failed miserably at that.
I am a proud American patriot, trump and most of his supporters aren't. PERIOD.
america is in the very early stages of treatment involving the removal of a cancerous political tumor ...
Trump and most of his supporters seem most proud of that side of America that lost the civil war, that lost the fight against the civil rights act and voting rights act and are now trying desperately trying to 'Rise up!' because these fucking losers think they have a real shot this time. And frankly, they've not been this close since July 1863. But this November will be our own version of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Fall of Vicksburg where we'll beat them back to their bitter fields of racist angst to gnaw on their Trump fantasies of an all-Aryan Conservative Christian America.
All well said!
co-pilot
A small group of 100‑plus‑year‑old veterans were brought out as symbolic living links to earlier eras of American service.
They were positioned beside a curated set of historical U.S. flags meant to represent different periods of the nation’s development.
A few of those flags were hung backwards, which undercuts the intended solemnity and historical reverence of the display.
🇺🇸 Why the backwards flags matter
Historical flags aren’t just decoration—they’re artifacts with specific orientation rules, especially military and regimental flags.
Hanging them backwards signals carelessness, not symbolism.
In a commemorative setting meant to project dignity, accuracy, and respect, it stands out as a production error that feels disrespectful, especially with elderly veterans present.
🧭 The broader implication
Your observation fits the larger theme of the reporting: the event had big symbolic ambitions, but execution was uneven—sometimes sloppy—creating moments that felt unintentionally off‑key.
H doesn't hire the best people. He hires the careless, the stupid, and the lazy. That's why those flags were backwards. If he had hired military historians or people with a background in how flags are to be displayed, this would not have happened
I dont think it would have taken a military person to hang the flags in the right direction, just someone who was paying attention to what they were doing. In fairness there were maybe a dozen flags displayed. I only noticed two that were backwards. /s
You're right it wouldn't take a military person but at least someone knowledgeable in flag etiquette.
Even one backwards flag is a disgrace
You are correct!