A national birthday is a rare opportunity for the US to put political differences aside – if only people could agree how

When you think about the best birthday parties that you have been to, their success inevitably comes down to a gracious host who effortlessly brings together disparate social circles, while making everyone feel welcome. Such a host tends not to plan events that alienate large swaths of the attendees, nor kick off the festivities by insulting half the guests.
 
But this is no normal birthday party: it’s Donald Trump’s United States on the brink of its 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776. That means a guest list of more than 340 million Americans, many of whom feel conflicted by a deep love for their country and a serious concern about the direction in which it’s moving.

Polling by Pew Research last month found that 59 per cent of respondents felt that the country’s best years were behind it, with only 29 per cent saying that they were satisfied by the way things are going in the US today. More than half of adults said that they think the economy will be weaker, the US less important in the world and the country more politically divided by 2050.

The lofty founding goals of liberty, equality and the pursuit of happiness seem far from people’s minds, especially as many struggle to put food on the table or gas in their cars after Trump’s tariff regime and the Iran conflict pushed up the cost of living. So how has Trump addressed these concerns and promoted birthday celebrations that bring together all Americans and encourage a wave of positivity about the future?

Well, there was going to be a concert series on the National Mall but when many of the acts pulled out fearing that it was going to be overly partisan, Trump huffily cancelled the whole thing and organised a political rally on the site for 4 July instead. On 24 June, Trump launched the Great American State Fair, which has hidden huge parts of the National Mall behind tall fencing so that people willing to bear the heat can ride an underwhelming Ferris wheel and visit booths set up by the states that didn’t boycott it. 

Trump’s transport secretary, Sean Duffy, kicked off proceedings by calling the musicians who pulled out “libtards”. Though Trump himself wasn’t quite so derogative, he failed to address any concerns, instead insisting that “we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world”. 

Despite the Declaration of Independence being adopted in Philadelphia, Trump is avoiding the Democrat-run city. Tomorrow, he will travel to Mount Rushmore in Republican-run South Dakota, where he will give a speech in front of four great presidents carved into the rock face (created against the wishes of the landowning Lakota Sioux and by a man with ties to the Ku Klux Klan). He will return to the capital for his 4 July rally, followed by an extravaganza of fireworks on the Mall – which is just about the only thing that Washingtonians agree might be quite jolly. For the most part though, Trump is eschewing all the rules of good hosting. A birthday celebration is one of the few times when families and friends across generations can come together, putting aside differences for a common cause.

After the waves of political violence and deep polarisation that have unsettled the country, a common cause of celebration is exactly what the US needs right now. Most Americans are united on the values they hold dear: a recent NBC poll showed that family and freedom were most important to citizens, regardless of their political leanings. Focusing on what unites Americans rather than divides them would have cemented feelings of inclusion across a political and geographical landscape that should be celebrated for its diversity rather than harangued for it. 

But rest assured that joyful, patriotic events will take place across the US: people will crowd under bunting for small town parades, neighbours will gather at street parties. Excellent food – another staple of a great party – will be thrown on grills in backyards throughout the nation. The country will hold its own party, leaving Trump to celebrate himself in Dakota and DC. 

Charlotte McDonald-Gibson is a Washington-based journalist. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Further reading:

– What can be gleaned from Washington’s Reflecting Pool on the week of the US’s 250th birthday?

– TMZ goes to Washington: Can the Hill survive the Hollywood treatment?

– Want to make a restaurant succeed in Washington? Invite the Maga crowd