Party of 1: How Trump’s ego destroyed America 250

America’s 250th birthday could have been — should have been — a celebration to end all celebrations. The nation’s biggest birthday yet could have been an opportunity for both commemoration and recommitment, a festival marking a quarter millennium of democracy and a challenge to envision a bolder, better, brighter America for the generations to come.  

Instead, we got a canceled Vanilla Ice concert, a half-painted Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, and a massive UFC arena on the White House lawn.

It is no surprise that few Americans are excited about or even paying attention to an America 250 celebration that President Trump has taken every opportunity to rebrand into a party for himself.

Given his talk of a MAGA rally on the National Mall and marking the nation’s big day with his own face on a new $250 bill, Trump’s bottomless ego has made it impossible for anyone who isn’t a die-hard supporter to enjoy what should be a shared cultural moment.  

Oh, well — maybe we’ll get it right for the tricentennial in 2076.

The nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976 was not held under ideal circumstances, either. The country was only beginning to process the traumas of the Vietnam War. President Ford faced two assassination attempts in a single month. Efforts to desegregate Boston’s public schools led to protests and violent clashes. Yet even at our most divided, the American people of 1976 still believed that the triumph of American democracy was an event worth celebrating — not as Democrats or........

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