Chuck Todd Cries Trump ‘Ruined’ America’s 250th Birthday Bash

Chuck Todd accused President Donald Trump of hijacking America’s 250th birthday bash and making it all about himself, with the former Meet the Press moderator saying he felt “betrayed” as an American by Trump’s Fourth of July speech and other recent events.

He went off on the president in a new video on his Chuck ToddCast show on Sunday.

“Donald Trump has ruined the American brand and the American birthday celebration,” Todd whined.

Todd said the country had a bipartisan, congressionally-approved America 250 effort that had been brewing for years. He said it may have led to a celebration that was a “little bland” and a “bit hokey,” but that it would have done a pretty good job overall of honoring the USA.

But he said Trump sabotaged those plans. Todd pointed to the UFC “Freedom 250” fights at the White House last month as one of the main ways he debased the nation’s big birthday.

Todd said:

He couldn’t leave it alone. He created his own version of the celebration. First, he created his task force on celebrating America’s 250th birthday with Freedom 250, with the president as chair and the vice president as vice chair, and it competed and overshadowed the congressionally-created, taxpayer-funded America 250 effort.

Trump just took it all over. He staged his own little UFC fight on the White House lawn. A literal cage gets erected — or a bouncy house that looks like a cage — gets erected in the backyard on his birthday. It was supposed to also about the 250th birthday, too, right? What’s there to even add on this, right?

The image does the work. There’s a cage on the White House lawn — a national birthday turned into his own personal political rally. A celebration of the country made to orbit one man.

He didn’t seem to love Trump’s Fourth of July speech, either. Todd accused Trump of trying to “steal” the nation’s 250th birthday and said he had “absolutely sullied” America’s reputation in the process.

“I’m so angry and feel betrayed. I do,” Todd added. “I feel betrayed as an American by him on this.”

Todd said he is hopeful that Americans will “make up” for this celebration when the country has its 275th birthday in 2051.

Watch above.

Jason Cohen contributed to this report. 

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