Trump Seeks to Put Himself Center Stage for US Independence Day

President Donald Trump will headline US Independence Day celebrations on Saturday with a speech and a show that seek to place him at the center of the nation’s 250th anniversary. (Source: Bloomberg)

Fireworks, flyovers and a 'really long' Trump speech ahead as US celebrates 250th

The celebrations in the US capital will feature 850,000 fireworks, a "really long" speech from the president and scorching temperatures.

What Getting Drunk With Alzheimer’s Patients Teaches Us About America on Her 250th Birthday

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1776 is a musical about John Adams' pursuit of American independence.

American patriotism and the US-Israel relationship

In the summer of 1776, with the ink barely dry on the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress gave its founders a challenging assignment: design a seal for the nation they had just summoned into being.  Benjamin Franklin imagined Moses standing at the Red Sea, his hand raised as the waters swallowed Pharaoh’s army. Thomas […]

Live updates: US celebrates 250 years despite heat dome; Trump set for ‘long’ speech

An excessive heat dome is threatening Fourth of July festivities in the nation’s capital and beyond — forcing cancellations, delays and other changes to holiday schedules as millions of Americans head outdoors to celebrate the U.S.’s 250th birthday. Washington, D.C., canceled its annual parade late Friday and pushed back the opening of the “Great American…

Trump Seeks to Put Himself Center Stage for US Independence Day

President Donald Trump will headline US Independence Day celebrations on Saturday with a speech and a show that seek to place him at the center of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The spectacular implosion of Trump's big bash shows America is finished with this clown

If you’re feeling that the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States has been hijacked by a narcissistic, political hack, you’re not alone. Instead of a joyous event for all Americans, our holiday has been plagued by vicious attacks on those who haven’t drunk the Make America Great Again Kool-Aid. And the results are proof positive that we, the people, are not going for it.Not one bit.One of the primary “celebrations” was the Great American State Fair held on the National Mall this week. Supposedly showcasing the history of the 50 states, a whopping 20 states decided to skip the event entirely. Not because they’re not proud of their state or didn’t want to tell the wonderful tales about the vast diversity and beauty of this place we call home, but because President Donald Trump turned it into a political rally for himself instead of a birthday party for all Americans.Most of the musicians and entertainers who were booked cancelled as it morphed into a staged event for Trump. Those few that didn’t cancel had very sparse crowds sprinkled over the lawn in one of the most embarrassing displays of just how historically unpopular our current president and his attempts to divide, not unite, Americans are with the populace.Despite Trump claiming a crowd of 45,000 people, about 1,000 showed up. Of course this is totally in line with his self-aggrandizing exaggerations across the board since he lives in a fantasy world where he is worshipped and adored.But the stunning failure of the Great American State Fair isn’t alone in demonstrating the fact that Americans have grown very tired of this particular reality TV show clown. Consider these events of the last week:The Supreme Court ruled against Trump’s executive order attempting to overturn the Constitution’s guarantee of birthright citizenship. It’s not where we came from, it’s where we are; and those born here are Americans. The president’s former attorney, Ty Cobb, reflecting on the financial declaration showing the president and his sons have garnered more than a billion dollars from sketchy crypto sources called it “the greatest onslaught of corruption in the history of mankind” adding “he creates policies that can only enrich himself and his family, is something that I think the average American should be staggered by.”A federal judge blocked Trump’s executive order that the U.S. Postal Service could not deliver mail ballots in states that had not surrendered their voter role information to the federal government, thus halting one of his most obvious and odious attempts to rig the coming elections in which his MAGA allies are predicted to lose badly. Even the Social Security Administration’s latest list of popular baby names puts “Donald” at its lowest point since the 1880s.The takeaway is clear — Americans are not happy that our nation’s birthday has been hijacked and degraded. We are not happy with being intentionally divided instead of united in celebration of our history. We are not happy that those who fought and died to establish this nation — and all those who have struggled to keep democracy alive since then — have been shoved to the side by a gilded grifter.Trump is not who we are as Americans and Montanans. We are the nation of “all men are created equal,” and on this 250th celebration of our founding, the great challenge is to live up to that promise, to be the united, not the divided, states — and to continue to forcefully reject these self-serving, despicable efforts to drive us apart.Daily Montanan is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Darrell Ehrlick for questions: info@dailymontanan.com.