The United States marked the 250th anniversary of its independence on Friday with fireworks, military pageantry and a charged political backdrop, as President Donald Trump framed the occasion as a moment to defend American identity against what he called internal enemies.
Trump chose Mount Rushmore in South Dakota as the setting for his eve-of-celebrations address, speaking beneath the carved faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The choice was deliberate. Analysts said it positioned Trump alongside the pantheon of American greatness he invoked throughout the speech. Republican lawmakers sympathetic to the president have already introduced a bill to add his likeness to the monument.
On Saturday evening, Trump is expected to hold a large rally on the National Mall in Washington, complete with a military air display and what he described as the world’s largest fireworks show. He told reporters on Wednesday: “The heat on the Fourth of July will be about 107 degrees Fahrenheit, and I’m going to go and give a very long speech, just to prove I can do anything.”
The heat is not figurative. A severe heat wave has gripped much of the country, with the felt temperature forecast to exceed 46 degrees Celsius, disrupting celebrations in several cities and towns across the US.
In his Mount Rushmore remarks, Trump praised the “American Dream” and honoured past presidents while warning that American identity was “under renewed attack.” He pointed to what he described as “bigots and extremists” within the country, and said there was “a return of the communist threat on our soil.” The comments appeared directed at the left wing of the Democratic Party, which has recorded a string of primary victories in recent weeks ahead of November’s midterm elections.
On immigration, his language was less sharp than in previous addresses, though the intent was clear: “You don’t have to be born here, but you have to love what we have built.”
Away from the political theatre, the anniversary prompted reflection as much as celebration. A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found that 61% of Americans believe the country does not live up to the principles set out in the Declaration of Independence. The divide runs along partisan lines: Republicans largely say it does; most Democrats say it does not.
For some Americans, the mood is harder to square with the festivities. “There are way too many people who hate each other and steal from each other,” said Johnny Presley, an artist based in Los Angeles. “I’m tired of the way this country treats people. I’m tired of the way it treats its foreign neighbours. I’m tired of a lot of things.”
