President Trump’s Semiquincentennial Independence Day Speech of 4 July 2016: An Affirmation of American Exceptionalism
Having earlier threatened “a really long speech” on a particularly hot day, America’s “favourite President” Donald J. Trump settled for a shorter 40-minute version on the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence- “one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time.” The anniversary commemorates the day back in 1776, when 56 ‘Founding Fathers’ from 13 states gathered in Philadelphia on 4 July to sign the Declaration of Independence from Britain, which happened to be “the greatest power of the world” at the time but is now in comparative decline. Trump’s speech, delivered from a temporary stage on the National Mall in Washington DC, between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, was a highlight of the ‘Salute to 250 Celebrations’. The speech was delayed by the threat of a thunderstorm, but Trump was determined to go ahead whatever and started shortly after 11:15 PM EST, instead of the originally scheduled time of 9:00 PM. Helped by a teleprompter, Trump’s speech mostly stayed on target and did not stray off in tangents along different directions, as is often the case. The language was more restrained and more becoming of a statesman, although devoid of the flashes of oratorical display that characterise more accomplished speakers. Some observers felt that the speech was “boring”, “underwhelming”, or both.
Trump’s speech celebrated a country “stronger, freer, richer, safer, and prouder than ever before.” He promised that the country “will always be the best.” He reaffirmed his commitment to uphold the Second Amendment and the “right to keep and bear arms” in the pursuit of freedom, noting that the war for independence had been launched by people who “took up their muskets against the mightiest army on Earth.” Although he considered the Constitution of the United States to be “very special”, it must be said that some of his recent actions, and those of his administration, have not always upheld the spirit of “the most righteous political document ever conceived.”
Trump named selected military heroes from the past, and referred to some notable American military victories. Centenarian military veterans of Pearl Harbor, D-Day, and Iwo Jima, the crew of Artemis II, and Jack Schmitt of Apollo 17 were welcomed on to the stage to resounding applause. Trump Wright brothers’ pioneering flight and America’s Moon landings, soon to be followed by an “upcoming return”, were provided as examples of American achievement in the skies.
Trump confirmed that the American Dream was back. The military of the “world’s strongest and most powerful nation” had been rebuilt, and was overflowing with recruits. America’s military might had triumphed in Venezuela and had “wiped out” Iran and its military, sending its entire navy of 159 ships to the bottom of the sea. Earlier Americans had ventured West, conquered the frontier, tamed the wilderness, and built the “Empire of Liberty.” Railroads, skyscrapers, and the Panama Canal attested to American engineering skills.
Curiously, Trump targeted “communism”, which is hardly a threat within America in the accepted use of the term, calling it a “loser” and likening it to a “cancer”. The Communist Party USA is a no more than a minnow on America’s political landscape. It seems most likely that Trump used the term in a pejorative sense to single out his domestic left-wing political opponents from the Democratic Party. Trump’s anti-communist rhetoric is indeed reminiscent of the campaign initiated by Senator Joseph McCarthy (Republican-Wisconsin, 1947-1957) against the ‘Reds’ during the 1950s.
Trump ended with a list of his achievements. The capital city, once a very unsafe place, was “safe and gleaming and beautiful again.” The stock market was the strongest it had ever been. There was record-breaking investment in the US, more factories were being built, and more people were working than ever before in the dawn of the Golden Age of America.
The contents of the speech were mostly predictable, being frequently replicated at MAGA rallies. At times it seemed more like a campaign speech ahead of November’s midterm elections, especially with Trump’s plug for voting reforms via the SAVE America Act, which will require proof of citizenship for voter registration and will restrict mail-in ballots to “illnesses, disability, military deployment, or travel.” Following the speech, the President and the First Lady were treated to a spectacular 40-minute ‘Salute to 250 Fireworks’ show which lit up the skies over Washington DC and has been confirmed, in typical Trumpian fashion, as “the largest fireworks display in history.” Looking beyond the Independence Day speech and taking in the bigger picture, it can be safely concluded that while America has much to be proud about, Trump 2.0 has somehow managed to dent its global reputation and influence. Given the uncertainty and volatility of current American policy making, who can reliably predict what comes next?
Ashis Banerjee