Obama and Mamdani Show How It’s Done

This week, we saw two distinct visions of what it means to honor and celebrate the United States.

The first is the one you know, the Ultimate Fighting Championship spectacle in Washington, where President Trump presided over pyrotechnics, blood sport and general mayhem. Ostensibly planned to mark the 250th anniversary of the nation — which, as we all know, was founded by a cadre of mixed martial artists and podcasters — it was in reality a birthday celebration for a president who sees himself as the embodiment of the nation or who, at least, is unable to step out of the spotlight for even a moment.

Billed as though it was for the American people as a whole, the U.F.C. event was not, in truth, for the public;........

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