This story appeared in The Logoffa daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news rule your life. Register here.
Welcome to The Logoff: Hello readers, happy Thursday! The logoff is tomorrow before July 4. But before I go find a hot dog, let’s talk about how President Donald Trump is celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
What is happening? The celebration has been going on since last week, when the State Fair of America started on the National Mall. Overall, it’s not going too well: Reviews have ranged from satisfactory to “worse than expected.” on Thursday, a piece of the platform fell from the rafterswho missed the artists while they were rehearsing.
But the show will have to wait until some TBD time, perhaps late at night — or perhaps early in the morning on July 5 — for Trump to speak. on wednesday, he boasted that “it’s going to be about 107 degrees outside, and I’m going to go, and I’m going to give a really long speech to show that I can do anything.”
Why this matter? Trump’s authoritarian approach to his America’s version has come at the expense of a much larger celebration, spanning more than half a century in the country. As the news site NOTUS reported earlier this weekTrump’s DOGE plan previously cut funding for local festivals — and now it refuses to release congressional-approved funds.
At the national level, Trump too money directed to America250 — a bipartisan group created by Congress — including Freedom 250, a private public group backed by the Trump administration with a clear partisan rhetoric. on Thursday, Congressional Democrats also demanded that Trump misled donors who intended to support America250 by providing Freedom 250 account numbers and channels instead.
And so, it’s time to leave…
Let’s end on a happy, patriotic note: As my colleague Bryan Walsh explainsfor all our problems, the United States by many metrics is doing better than it was in America’s bicentennial 50 years ago. And as Constance Grady says, there is much good in America that Trump cannot refuse. (All are giveaway links.)
Plus, World Cup stuff: The USMNT is headed to the round of 16 next week! At the same time, I love the team of music celebration.
Thanks for reading, have a great holiday, and we’ll see you back here on Monday!
