Donald Trump has never been the kind of president who can reach across the divide and bring America together. His idiosyncratic public speaking style works to fire up his fanatically loyal Maga base, but as his polling ratings show – Trump’s approval ratings hit an all-time low of minus 26 this week – he struggles to reach beyond that.
Trump, therefore, is not necessarily the president you would choose to oversee the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the moment the US marks as its founding.
Other presidents might look for soaring oratory to reflect on a complex legacy over a quarter of a millennium – a country founded on slavery, which fought a civil war, which engaged in the excesses of the Cold War, but also one founded on high ideals, not least the idea of freedom.
Shorts
Trump is not doing any of that. Instead, he’s building a cage for a UFC fight on the White House lawn, holding a concert – backed by his political allies, leading to multiple artists dropping out – and, predictably, trying to put his face and name on a $250 dollar bill to mark the moment.
