Trump’s Independence Day Speech Emphasizes US Military History, Invokes American Exceptionalism
Under a drizzling rain, President Donald Trump gave an Independence Day speech at the Lincoln Memorial that revisited great moments in US history, in particular, US military history, and leaned heavily on the ideals of American exceptionalism: “We are Americans. Nothing is impossible.”
Trump began his address by invoking not just the Second Continental Congress that birthed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, but also the Continental Army under the command of General George Washington, who was in New York City at the time. He then recounted how frustrated American colonists, ready to throw off a legacy of oppression, tore down a statue of England’s King George III in lower Manhattan and melted it down to use for bullets in service of the American Revolution.
“That same American spirit that emboldened our Founders has kept us strong throughout our history,” Trump said. “To this day that spirit runs through the veins of every American patriot. It lives on in each and every one of you here today. It is the spirit, daring, and defiance, excellence and adventure, courage and confidence, loyalty and love, that built this country into the most exceptional nation in the history of the world, and our nation is stronger today than it ever was before. It is its strongest now.”
The last half of the president’s address placed a heavy emphasis on accomplishments of the US military, recounting numerous moments in history from each of the five military services, after which aircraft from each one soared overhead and their individual service anthem played.
He closed by evoking the theme of American exceptionalism, tying the nation’s past and present to an even better future.
“Nearly 250 years ago, a volunteer army of farmers and shopkeepers, blacksmiths, merchants, and militiamen, risked life and limb to secure American liberty and self-government. This evening we have witnessed the noble might of the warriorswho continue that legacy. They guard our birthright with vigilant and fierce devotion to the flag and to our great country. Now we must go forward as a nation with that same unity of purpose. As long as we stay true to our cause, as long as we remember our great history. As long as we never stop fighting for a better future, then there will be nothing that America cannot do.”
Watch an excerpt of the president’s address above, via Fox News.
