"You're a mean one
You really are an ass
You're a liar
Without any class
Mr. Trump, you're cruel
Mr. Trump, you're crass."
(Apologies to Dr. Seuss)
It doesn't feel like 4th of July this year.
I remember celebrating America's 200th anniversary in 1976. It was special. There was a series of celebrations and observances that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic.
The whole country embraced the activities. I was on a patriotic push and talked my long-suffering wife into decorating our house in red, white, and blue. I even bought a Bicentennial set of Commemorative coins. I displayed the flag outside our house proudly.
That was then. How things have changed in 2026.
Trump has managed to turn the holiday into a series of political events and tributes for himself. Each worse than the one before. Despite having a National State Fair at the Washington mall to celebrate 4th of July hardly anyone has shown up for the event which is slated to last 16 days.
It didn't help that Trump opened the fair with a two-hour-long political screed that saw a sparce crowd walk away by mid speech. The fair's failures to secure entertainers and the lack of shade (Washington DC is in the 100s right now) contributed to the small crowd. The state booths (only 40 states participated) were bland and often weren't staffed by anyone.
Like a political slap in the face, the organizers (Trump's Freedom 250 clowns) erected a facsimile of one of Trump's vanity projects - a triumphal arch like the one in France. His plans call for it to be by the National Mall. The only people it attracted at the fair were the few who used the little shade that it provided.
We have to look at the big picture. Trump has taken national holidays over and is desecrating them with his vile politics. America is split into warring fragments that refuse to unite. Even once safe national holidays have been poisoned.
It's particularly galling watching Trump and his cronies wrapping themselves in the American flag and claiming they are super patriots. They've appropriated national symbols, striping them down into a MAGA centric meaning that most Americans revile.
The takeover of Fourth of July is a continuation of an authoritarian government holding freedom hostage.
As it Stands, I'll still hang my flag out this year, but I'll skip buying any commemorative coins with Trump's mug on them.
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