U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speak with the media at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport on the day of the opening of a temporary migrant detention center informally known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in Ochopee, Florida, U.S., July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
It was almost 249 years ago, on July 4, 1776, that the United States Declaration of Independence was signed at Philadelphia's Independence Hall (which was called the Pennsylvania State House at the time).
Since then, the U.S. has survived everything from the Civil War of the 1860s to the Great Depression to Watergate to the 9/11 terrorist attacks to two world wars to the January 6, 2021 insurrection. But during President Donald Trump's second term, many of his critics are wondering if the U.S. will continue to be a democratic republic.
One of those critics is Never Trump conservative Mona Charen, who served as a speechwriter for First Lady Nancy Reagan during the 1980s.
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In an article published in The Bulwark on July 3, Charen emphasizes that on Independence Day 2025, critics of Trump and the far-right Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement shouldn't be discouraged from celebrating their "patriotism."
"On the eve of our nation's 249th birthday," Charen laments, "a Gallup poll finds that only 58 percent of Americans feel 'extremely' or 'very' proud of their country. This is a new low in the 25 years Gallup has been asking this question, and the reasons are not hard to divine. We are led by a monomaniacal vulgarian who revels in cruelty, demonizes half the nation, tells vicious lies, tramples good taste, offends allies, sucks up to foes, tramples on law and human rights, and endangers all we hold dear — all while enjoying lockstep fealty from the Republican Party. It's no wonder that those outside the MAGA heliosphere may not be feeling the spirit of 1776 right now."
Charen continues, "Here is my proposed antidote to anti-patriotism. We are clearly in a rough patch, but rather than despair, we can draw upon our rich history for inspiration."
The Never Trumper argues that MAGA Republicans pervert the true meaning of U.S. "patriotism" with their "nativism" and "stupidity."
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"I cringe when I hear MAGA types beating their chests and declaring that this is 'the greatest country in the history of the world,'" Charen explains.
"Two reasons: (1) Boasting is crass; and (2) it's offensive coming from the lips of those whose mission is to destroy the things that made us special. They are not patriots, properly understood, because they hate so much of what makes America great. We must refuse to let them soil patriotism."
Charen notes that patriotism doesn't mean overlooking the darker side of U.S. history.
"America has been responsible for appalling savagery in the past 250 years," the conservative journalist notes. "There is no sugarcoating slavery, Jim Crow, the treatment of Native Americans, discrimination against other minorities, or misbegotten imperial adventures. But as Immanuel Kant said, 'Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made.'"
Charen adds, "America is the greatest nation in the history of the world. And here are a few of the reasons. We are the oldest democracy on the planet, having set the template for self-government and rule of law that has been such a gift to humankind. Our freedom, vast territory, culture, and institutions give the freest possible rein to human creativity and flourishing. We have been a haven for the oppressed for centuries."
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Mona Charen's full article for The Bulwark is available at this link.