Forgot Your Password?

New to The Nation? Subscribe

Print subscriber? Activate your online access

.nation-small__b{fill:#fff;}

How Zohran Mamdani Saved the Fourth of July

The mayor’s fighting patriotism bested Trump’s rantings and Obama’s evasions.

In normal times, there’s nothing more tedious than a Fourth of July speech. It’s an occasion for self-congratulatory nationalist backslapping, pompous mythmaking, and oily celebrations of unity that always evade the reality of political divisions. But in a time of crisis, the tired rituals of commemorative jollification will no longer serve, which makes speeches about the meaning of the United States much more urgent.

Most memorably, in 1852, Frederick Douglass redeemed the Fourth of July by turning a ritual of self-praise into an occasion for searching criticism. In his immortal speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Douglass articulated with unparalleled clarity the immeasurable gap between the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the horrific reality of American bondage. This speech is reposted every Independence Day by The Nation because its core argument, that the United States is an unfinished project that has yet to fulfill its deepest aspirations, remains true.

In 2026, the United States is once again in a national crisis, presided over by a corrupt and lawless president who incited a mob to attack the Capitol rather than accept the loss of the 2020 election. But Donald Trump is symptomatic of a deeper malaise, brought on by the centralization of power in the presidency, the withering away of congressional checks, the domination of plutocrats in politics as well as the economy, and the virulence of ethnonationalist passions. His brazen criminality, which includes repeatedly launching wars without congressional approval, would not be possible in a healthy democracy.

The national mood is sour. Trump’s actions, ranging from ICE killings of protesters to the failed war in Iran, have created an angry and volatile political moment. According to a recent Gallup poll, national pride is lower than at any time the pollster has measured it in the last 25 years, especially among the majority who are not Republicans. “Currently 70% of Republicans, 28% of independents and 14% of Democrats say they are extremely proud to be American,” the pollster found. “Extreme pride has edged down seven points since last year among Republicans and six points among Democrats.”

Amid all this widespread gloom, and against the backdrop of the country’s 250th birthday, this year’s Fourth of July orations took on an added importance. Three significant speeches reflected the moment.

Donald Trump’s Fourth of July speech, delivered at the National Mall late at night after festivities had been interrupted by a thunderstorm, was, predictably, a travesty. Rather than speaking to any of the higher aspirations of the nation, Trump bombastically ranted about his achievements while casting his political foes as “communists” who were beyond the pale. There were also speeches and public statements by the former presidents, most notably by Barack Obama. None of these statements named Trump directly, though they were all, including the one by George W. Bush, clearly animated by concern over the president’s authoritarianism. But the message they offered of needing to........

© The Nation