Down at the National Mall, Donald Trump made of the 250th a hard-edged statement on what the nation is and where it is going. With some showmanship and no small amount of pointed politics, he presented an ascendant United States, vowing it would be a world leader and putting a warning out there about the communist threat to our values.
Why this anniversary speech matters
The president made use of the rare occasion to put forward the case that the country is in its prime – ‘stronger, richer and prouder than ever before.’ Even with some weather to contend with, his words were a clear read on what he holds to be important: upholding the Constitution, protecting gun rights and making no bones about the rejection of communism.
He laid out the stakes in no uncertain terms:
– There will be no question of who leads the world
– We have to deal with communism head on
– The Constitution is what gives us our strength
– Gun rights are a given
Anti-communism and the politics of identity
Ideology was the through-line. Trump was blunt in saying communism has no place in the American way of life, ‘the opposite of the American system’ and something that ‘has never worked.’ ‘We’d like to stop the threat before it begins, it’s like cancer,’ he put it, in a call for early action.
‘We don’t want communists in our country,’ he said, in a line meant to land with his base. In doing so, he made the day about more than just looking back; it was a way to re-draw some ideological lines.
Constitution, guns and the rule of law
For Trump, the Constitution is the reason for 250 years of success, what has made us ‘the finest people on the planet after 250 years.’ As for the Second Amendment, he was firm: ‘We guard your second amendment very very strongly.’
He even brought up his own legal troubles to make a point about fairness. ‘Equal justice is promised for all, although I wasn’t treated at par, but we won’t get into that,’ he said, letting the comment stand without making a fuss of it.
Power projection and claims of renewed dominance
Trump put forth the view that America is in a better position on the world stage. ‘We will always be on top, and never let our country fall.’ Respect for the U.S. is back, he said, to the point where ‘it is very difficult to get into the US military.’
Then there is the matter of space. ‘We were losing to China and Russia in the space race, now we’re way ahead of them,’ he claimed, pointing to it as evidence of where the momentum is.
Pageantry, symbolism and the audience
There was plenty of spectacle to go with the message. Trump termed it ‘an evening for the ages’ and at one time put on view what he called the flag from 1776. Between the flyovers and the fireworks, the ceremony was a fitting underpinning for a talk that wanted to make a direct line from then to now.
He had high praise for the United States as ‘the home of freedom’ and ‘the crowning achievement of human history.’ Addressing the crowd, he said, ‘No people have done more good, showed more courage, made more progress, righted more injustice or achieved more greatness than you, the American people.’
A long view and a pledge for the future
With two and a half centuries in the rearview, Trump described the nation as 'the hope, the promise, the light and the glory among all of the nations of the world.’ The path is an upward one, he contended: ‘US has been the hope, light and glory of the world for 250 years; we will always be this or even better.’
It was a steady refrain: we are in good shape and we will stay on top. ‘Nobody can be like us. And with God’s help, we will always be this or even better,’ he said, to end a speech that was as much a marker for the road ahead as it was a celebration.
