The National Mall, a large plaza in Washington, D.C., at 4 p.m. Friday, the 250th anniversary of America's independence and founding. The first thing that came into view upon emerging from the subway was a person being carried on a stretcher toward an emergency medical center in the 38°C heat. An elderly person, face gone pale and pressing a hand to the forehead while receiving help from medical staff, was also visible. But beyond that stretched a long line of people waiting to enter the event.
A man named Cody Him, whom I met here, opened by saying he "came out of patriotism." Having just finished a tour of the Capitol, he said, "I got to learn what freedom is, what it means to be free from tyranny, and what it means to be liberated from oppression," adding, "This 250th anniversary of independence is a celebration of those many principles."
Introducing himself as a conservative, Him spoke forcefully about the war with Iran, saying, "Iran sees through how U.S. politics and policy work," and, "President Donald Trump should just jump into Iran and push forward at full speed." His demand was that the U.S. should resume overwhelming military operations rather than get caught up in Iran's strategy by negotiating with it.
Traditionally, America's Independence Day, along with Thanksgiving and Christmas, has been a representative holiday honoring the values of unity and harmony. But some point out that it has effectively been transformed into a political event for Trump and the Republican Party, after the president stated before the event that it would be "the most spectacular Trump rally." In this process, the Trump administration effectively sidelined "America250," a bipartisan committee formed 10 years ago to prepare for the 250th anniversary of the founding, and organized the Republican-centered "Freedom 250."
A representative event they pursued was a mixed martial arts competition held at the White House last month on the 14th to mark Trump's 80th birthday. In addition, they blocked off a significant portion of the 2.4-km National Mall grounds to set up the "Great American State Fair," featuring exhibits by conservative groups and defense contractors, and also planned a rally on the 5th featuring conservative Christian speakers.
As a result of these influences, six of the seven people interviewed by Seoul Economic Daily on this day said they mostly support the Trump administration, though to varying degrees. People wearing red "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) hats and T-shirts emblazoned with Trump's face were mainly visible, with as many Trump supporters gathered as at the inauguration.
A man named Joel said, "This administration has both good and bad points, but overall I think it has done quite well," adding, "One characteristic of politics is that you can't do everything well." He assessed, "In the case of the war with Iran, President Trump made the difficult decision to sacrifice his own political image for the world." While there is a view that Iran gained more from the U.S.-Iran war, he instead showed the perspective that Trump made a difficult decision for world peace.
Ben, who said he voted for Trump in the last presidential election, said, "In my eyes, there has never been a perfect president so far," but added, "Overall, I support the current administration." He said, "I especially like his border policy," and stated firmly, "I think immigrants coming to America is a really good thing. But they must come in through legal procedures." He added, "I also like that, unlike socialist ideology, President Trump pursues free-market and capitalist policies." On the other hand, Jessica, who said she does not support Trump, said, "They say this administration respects freedom, but I dislike how hypocritical it is that they oppress people like sexual minorities just because they think differently."
Even a white supremacist group that argues America should be made into a "country for whites only" held a march in downtown Washington. According to Reuters, about 400 members of the white supremacist group "Patriot Front" marched on the 4th, wearing hats emblazoned with the group's logo, carrying various flags including the early American flag from the nation's founding (the Betsy Ross flag) with 13 stars symbolizing the early Confederacy, and shouting "Reclaim America."
As the founding commemoration thus transformed into a conservative rally centered on Trump, several Democratic-led states refused to send delegations. At least nine state governments, including California and New York, are holding their own separate events instead of attending the federal government's official festival. Many artists who had been scheduled to perform also dropped out, expressing concerns about political bias. They complained that they had initially been told the event was a purely bipartisan festival honoring the nation and veterans, but later learned it was a politically biased event, denouncing it as being "duped by a bait-and-switch scam."
On social networking services (SNS), posts mocking the event's attendees appeared one after another, starkly revealing the reality of an America split into two extremes. One X (formerly Twitter) user posted a photo of people lined up in a long line to attend the event, writing, "Are the people standing in line in 100-degree Fahrenheit (37.8°C) heat patriots, or fools?"
According to a poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos of 1,537 U.S. adults from June 12 to 15, three-quarters of Democratic supporters and about half of Republican supporters thought the event commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding had become too political. Asked whether "America can still exist as a single nation 250 years from now," 38% of respondents answered it was "unlikely." Reuters analyzed that extreme political division is weighing on views about America's future.
