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If you were looking for an apt metaphor for this administration, boy do we have you covered. That was the stage falling apart in real time during the rehearsal for the America 250 July 4th celebration in Washington DC. And let me just say the vandals who did this must be brought to justice. I know sabotage when I see it. And just like our dear patriotic reflecting pool, these vandals truly know no bounds in their desperation to destroy deer leaders majestic work.
In all seriousness, first off, thank God no one was hurt. I know that this White House has made it a recurring theme that they dump money into the laps of their friends to do these jobs at the taxpayers's expense. But whether it's the stage or the reflecting pool, shoddy, subpar work has become a hallmark of this administration. And frankly, for a guy who beats his chest as a builder, a master builder, that is especially embarrassing.
Like, we obviously know Trump can't govern. He can't do diplomacy. His foreign policy is the stuff of an 11-year-old boy's fever dreams. But the one thing that he purports to actually be able to do, to actually be competent at, is build. And yet, if this is how he shows that, then it really does put on full display that Trump truly is not competent at anything.
And look, not to be too polyiana here, but America 50 should be a completely nonpartisan and legitimately joyful event. But of course, it's not. It can't be because the guy in charge of administering it is physically incapable of not descending into the same partisan dril that drives every fiber of his being. Trump doesn't want to unify the country. He doesn't want to bring us together because that would mean he wouldn't get to be the center of attention. And he gets that way by driving a wedge between between everyone. From the jump, this has all been about him.
This group putting on the whole fair on America 250 is a White Housebacked organization guilty of bypassing existing bipartisan group formed years ago for the same purpose. There's a booth where parents can sign their children up for Trump accounts, a mobile museum that's been accused of sanitizing history, two MAGA Mondays on the calendar, and a heavy emphasis on Christian values from the Faith and Family Pavilion to the unnamed evangelical preacher over the loudspeaker at one point.
Here's what happened in the North Carolina pavilion. Here at the Great American State Fair, visitors on Friday were surprised when they walked into the North Carolina pavilion and saw that there was an image of a Confederate flag projected on multiple screens. A spokesperson for the companies that are running this booth said that it was an unapproved image and that it was immediately taken down. This video posted by Ruben Jones at Spectrum News shows TV monitors with the Confederate flag side by side with a portion of the current North Carolina flag. North Carolina's Governor Josh Stein called for the display to be removed and issued a statement condemning it. North Carolina's state government chose not to participate in the fair, citing financial issues as other states pulled out over concerns of partisanship at the event.
And this is Michael Nolles debating the Salem Witch Trials with a 10-year-old girl in front of an audience of basically no one. But the one area where the Salem witch trials went a little far is I would say they weren't organized enough. So you had these like random judges, you know, kind of burning these ladies. I'm not I don't know if they were guilty or not. But I think more if it were more formalized, built up a little bit more, maybe with like an a grand inquisitor or something, that would have been a better way to do it.
I am so impressed I could. Why? Because well um I think it was Fab or Jackie Robinson that said um baseball there are so many layers of embarrassment that I don't even know where to begin.
Just a quick note here to say that if you appreciate my work, which is and always will be 100% free, a small ask is if you could please pre-order my new book, The Day After, which explores how Democrats must finally wield power if they're fortunate enough to get it back. I'll also be on tour in DC, New York, and LA mid July. You can grab tickets to the tour and you can pre-order the book at the same link which I'll put on the screen and in the post description of this video. You can also find them at brianttylcohen.com/book. Again, I'll never pay wall a single piece of content, but this is the one time that I'll ask for some support for a book that I really think meets this moment. Thanks so much.
In any case, this event, America 250, frankly, was never intended to be an event for everyone. It was intended to be a showcase for MAGA and conservatism. All of this wasn't a fluke. It was by design. Trump is interested in selling Trumpism, not America. This is about him, not us. Donald Trump is a grifter, and this is just another one of his griffs on the American people, just like he did last summer when he spent 45 million of our taxpayer dollars on another birthday-based military parade this time. Remember this? My god, that squeaking is the stuff of dreams. But remember, it is about him. It's about how much money, how much attention, how much focus we can pour onto the president while simultaneously ignoring actual Americans. You know, the very people that Trump swore up and down he would actually work for. Instead, we've got yet another homage to the God King. Although, frankly, people don't seem to be too impressed.
What do you think of all of this? Not much. Not much. And uh I've been to I've been to state fairs all throughout the United States. This is terrible. And how so? It's a program length advertisement for the president. It's interesting. It's very interesting. I've never seen anything like this before for sure in my 27 years of living in Virginia. I live near the DC area. And does anything jump out at you? No, nothing. There's no cows, there's no sheep, there's no goats. It's not a state fair without animals. There there's a butter cow, I'm told, at least in the Iowa booth. Maybe it'll it'll melt by tomorrow. I'm totally underwhelmed. Uh it's part political. Uh that arch over there is, I think, promoting one of Trump's vanity projects. Um I compare this to the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival that they do every year, which is wonderful. uh really, you know, talks about different cultures and countries. This is so bland. Uh but I had to come down and see it.
The multiple stages at the event were largely empty. If Donald Trump really wanted to celebrate America, he would be celebrating the things that actually make this country great, like our freedoms, our co-equal branches of government, our free and fair elections. But that's not ever going to happen. Because this man doesn't love our country. He only loves himself.
horizontal sand. Before you go, I'm very excited to announce that I've written a new book titled The Day After: How to Wield Power in a PostTrump World. The book explores what is, in my opinion, the single most important theme that we're dealing with in politics today and moving forward. Power. specifically, how Republicans abuse it and how Democrats refuse to wield it. This book explains how we got here and more importantly, how we should finally wield power if we're fortunate enough to get it back. It is the blueprint for progressives who want to do far more than just restore the status quo. Please pre-order today by visiting the link in the episode description or go to brianylcocken.com/book. You can grab yours from any of the major retailers like Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or find an independent bookstore closest to you that's also listed on that website. Thanks so much for supporting Independent Media.