{"id":777370,"date":"2026-07-03T23:00:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T23:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/777370\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T23:00:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T23:00:27","slug":"as-the-us-turns-250-this-july-4-who-is-still-proud-to-be-an-american","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/777370\/","title":{"rendered":"As the US turns 250 this July 4, who is still proud to be an American?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you ever attend an event where Donald Trump is speaking, there’s a country song you’ll almost certainly have to listen to.<\/p>\n

God Bless the USA, a hit for Lee Greenwood back in 1984, has become the president’s pre-speech hype tune. It’s now also getting plenty of play at events marking the United States’ 250th birthday, which falls this July 4.<\/p>\n

The song has a repeated lyric that’s notorious for ear-worming into one’s brain: I’m proud to be an American.<\/p>\n

But polls measuring the national mood have reinforced how a large chunk of America now struggles to identify with those words.<\/p>\n

Stacy Nichols, a new grandmother from Michigan, says she’s “absolutely not” feeling proud to be an American. Asked how she’s feeling instead, she offers: “Pissed off, angry, enraged.”<\/p>\n

\"Stacy<\/p>\n

Stacy Nichols made a placard with the words “quiet piggy”, a reference to what Donald Trump once called a female reporter. (ABC News: Brad Ryan)<\/p>\n

Those descriptors sum up the vibe at the event where we’re speaking. It’s a festival-like rally in a Washington DC park, featuring singing, dancing and a Native American drum performance alongside anti-Trump protest speeches.<\/p>\n

Activist groups planned the day to counter the “exclusionary narrative from the MAGA regime surrounding America’s 250th anniversary”, which they believe is being pushed at the official Trump-backed events, including the “Great State Fair” nearby on the National Mall.<\/p>\n

\"Protesters<\/p>\n

A coalition of activist groups planned a rally and festival to counter the official Donald Trump-backed birthday events. (ABC News: Brad Ryan)<\/p>\n

Stacy, a dental nurse, says her anger’s been fuelled by seeing patients who are enduring the worst of America’s cruel treatment in their daily lives.<\/p>\n

She gives examples like an elderly man who can’t afford his medication and a woman whose husband was seized by immigration agents.<\/p>\n

She travelled to Washington with homemade placards, including one that displays her reasons for coming: “I need to be able to tell my grandchildren I did not stay silent.”<\/p>\n

Trump takeover<\/p>\n

Plans to celebrate the US’s 250th birthday have been in train since 2016, when Congress established a bipartisan organising committee called “America250”.<\/p>\n

But Trump replaced that group with a new one, appointing himself as its chair, and Vice-President JD Vance as its vice-chair.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He called it “Freedom 250”. Its centrepiece event is the fair on the National Mall, featuring a ferris wheel, rodeo demonstrations and tourism-expo-type displays for all 50 states.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A replica of the triumphal arch that Donald Trump has proposed building in Washington is on display at the Great State Fair. (ABC News: Brad Ryan)<\/p>\n

“This ‘Freedom 250’ that Trump does, it is a celebration of fascism,” says Cindy Luiz at the park rally.<\/p>\n

“This is a fascist government, and it has outsize effect on the people of the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“You only have to look at Venezuela and Iran to see that, and the possibilities that they could trigger things rashly that lead to world war.”<\/p>\n

The big problems predate Trump, she says.\u00a0“My own view is that this country has been an exploitative, oppressive country from the days of slavery.”<\/p>\n

\"Cindy<\/p>\n

Cindy Luiz was handing out material warning of the dangers of fascism at the Washington rally. (ABC News: Brad Ryan)<\/p>\n

Muarib Abdul-Tawwab travelled to the rally via an 18-hour bus trip with a group of young activists from Mississippi.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I think that it’s important that history shows that we came down here because we thought what was going on here was important and we had something to say,” he says.<\/p>\n

In his opinion, “America has never been great.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It’s never been a great country. It’s constantly going on a downward spiral. It’s people that can’t afford to eat, it’s not fair education for everybody, there’s not affordable housing for everybody \u2014 and these are just the modern problems.”<\/p>\n

\"Muarib<\/p>\n

Muarib Abdul-Tawwab said America had never been a great country, no matter which side was in power. (ABC News: Brad Ryan)<\/p>\n

MAGA pride<\/p>\n

Patriotism is easier to find at the Trump-backed state fair, but the event has also been controversial since its inception.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most of the booked musicians cancelled their appearances<\/a>, complaining the fair was much more partisan than they had been led to believe.<\/p>\n

Since it opened, video footage of visibly thin crowds has been going viral. But Trump has used social media to insist it has been “packed with happy people”.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of them is Lisa Jox,\u00a0a recently retired government worker from Pennsylvania.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Lisa<\/p>\n

Lisa Jox said the US was “the first one to come help anyone in the world”. (ABC News: Brad Ryan)<\/p>\n

“There’s so many things America can be most proud of,” she says.<\/p>\n

“We’re the first one to come help anyone in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Right after that earthquake that just happened in Venezuela<\/a>, we’re down there helping. And we help everybody around the world when they need our help.”<\/p>\n

Like most of the people who stop to speak to the ABC here, Lisa’s a Trump supporter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Do I love everything about our leadership? No,” she says. “But there’s no other place in the world I’d rather be. And we are more than the face of our politics.”<\/p>\n

Angie Williams, a nurse from Virginia, says she often avoids talking about politics because it too quickly leads to a fight.<\/p>\n

\"Angie<\/p>\n

Angie Williams, who visited the fair with her husband, said she loved what Donald Trump had done for the US. (ABC News: Brad Ryan)<\/p>\n

“Most of the time I would be reluctant, but I’m definitely right-wing, I’m definitely MAGA, I love what Donald Trump has done for our country,” she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Getting illegals out is big to me. Getting the drugs out of our country, getting faith back in our country. I feel like that’s big \u2014 a president that openly supports the bible.”<\/p>\n

Sue Miller, also from Virginia, says the founding fathers’ vision for the US has “gone a little astray, but I think we’re getting it back”.<\/p>\n

“There’s a little resurgence going on,” she says.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Sue Miller (right) said the US had “gone a little astray” from its founding fathers’ vision, but there was now a “resurgence”.
\n\u00a0 (ABC News: Brad Ryan)<\/p>\n

But away from the celebration, broader opinion is bleaker.<\/p>\n

Pew Research, using its well-regarded polls as a basis, assessed the “American public’s mood is sour” ahead of the big birthday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Just 29 per cent of respondents to one recent poll said they were satisfied with the way things were going in the US today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Even the founding fathers never agreed’<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, a person’s politics play a major role in how they feel about the country’s trajectory, and whether they personally feel a sense of national pride.<\/p>\n

In a poll published by NPR<\/a> this week, 93 per cent of Republicans said they were proud to be an American. For Democrats, the figure fell to 45 per cent. Respondents without a stated political bent were in between, on 61 per cent.<\/p>\n

Non-Republicans were not easy to find at the state fair. But Louise Fenner, who lives a few blocks away, showed up to make a point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I’m a liberal Democrat and I came because I want everyone to \u2026 come to this, not just conservatives or Republicans,” she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“There really aren’t as many people as I would like to see here.”<\/p>\n

\"Louise<\/p>\n

\u00a0Louise Fenner came to the fair because she felt it should be for all Americans, not just Donald Trump’s supporters. (ABC News: Brad Ryan)<\/p>\n

The Pew polling found most Americans believe the country’s stark social divisions are continuing to widen. Among both Republicans and Democrats, about two-thirds of respondents expected the US to be more politically divided in 2050.<\/p>\n

Thirty-seven per cent of respondents in the NPR poll<\/a> agreed that violence may be needed to get the country back on track.<\/p>\n

“I think the division is getting worse thanks to the current administration,” Louise says.<\/p>\n

But reflecting on the prior 250 years, she adds: “We all probably think this is unprecedented, but my god, we had a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people. And so I think we’re going to get through this, and after this, we’re going to have a better future and more unity.”<\/p>\n

A Pew report last month said there were signs of “enduring optimism” among its unhappier poll results. Forty-eight per cent said they were optimistic about the future of the country overall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John Hess, who works in the horse-racing industry in Maryland, believes the current divisions are no different from those the US has weathered since its formation.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/p>\n

\u00a0John Hess said the US had been contending with social division for 250 years, and now was no different. (ABC News: Brad Ryan)<\/p>\n

“It’s always been the same,” he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Since day one, even the founding fathers never agreed fully on how to handle things. It’s still the same way. So, we’ll get by.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you ever attend an event where Donald Trump is speaking, there’s a country song you’ll almost certainly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":777371,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8260,2095,22955,60826,13885,342723,43,45654,368527,355007,44,2647,368528,41,39,42,40,3281,2957],"class_list":["post-777370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-8260","tag-america","tag-anniversary","tag-birthday","tag-donald","tag-freedom-250","tag-headlines","tag-independence-day","tag-july-4","tag-national-mall","tag-news","tag-protest","tag-state-fair","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-trump","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777370\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}