Trump polarized the 4th of July in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the USA? Understand

The United States celebrates 250 years of independence amidst a scenario of intense political polarization.

The capital Washington was the scene of demonstrations of military strength, with American Air Force fighter flights overflights, and a series of events organized under the Donald Trump brand, generating opposite reactions among the population.

Correspondent Mariana Janjácomo, who follows the celebrations directly from Washington, described the atmosphere in the city as marked by the deafening noise of military aircraft.

"The army is making a series of flights here in Washington to show the fighter jets in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States. It is a very loud noise and it is even difficult to see the fighter jets, because they are so fast, but we hear the noise and it gives the impression that the building is shaking", he reported.

Criticism of the appropriation of the date
The correspondent also highlighted that this year's celebrations are being organized by an association called Freedom to 250 - in Portuguese, Liberdade 250 -, linked to the celebrations promoted by Trump.

In the same week, Democrats in the House of Representatives released a report accusing Trump of benefiting financially through this organization, responsible for coordinating not only the holiday events, but also those that preceded it.

Among them are a UFC fight held at the White House and the renovation of the National Mall's reflecting pool, which generated controversy due to problems such as algae formation and peeling paint after being dyed in the blue color of the American flag.

"Trump said it was an action by vandals. The fact is that the reflecting pool is not the reflecting pool that we used to see, the traditional, the historical one", stated Mariana.

Polarization also manifests itself in the behavior of citizens.

According to the correspondent, some people said they wanted to celebrate the 4th of July without it being interpreted as support for Trump, while others attended the events wearing MAGA (Make America Great Again) caps.

"It is a polarization in the country that is even more evident on this important date", said Mariana.

What unites - and what divides - Americans
Analyst Lourival Sant'Anna assessed that the current division among Americans is deeper than the historical differences between the two major parties.

According to him, the classic debate between Democrats and Republicans - about the role of the State, entrepreneurship and private initiative, has never prevented Americans from sharing the sense of a common destiny.

"This was a natural division that did not harm the feeling of having a common destiny and that everyone was American," he explained.

For Sant'Anna, this cohesion has been eroded over the last three decades, from the moment the political debate shifted from economic issues to cultural and moral ones, generating a progressive radicalization of the two parties.

"The pillars of social and political cohesion in the United States have lost a lot of strength. I'm not going to say that they no longer exist, they still exist, but they have lost a lot of strength," he said.

He also highlighted what he classified as an "exponential increase in presidential power", in contradiction with the spirit of American independence and the Constitution, which were designed precisely to prevent the concentration of power.

Analyst Américo Martins, in turn, recognized that the United States continues to be an admirable and influential country, but highlighted that its imperfections are becoming increasingly visible.

"It's a country that has its imperfections, these imperfections are, unfortunately, becoming increasingly clear," he said. He cited concerns about the weakening of the separation of powers and the risk of the country turning into an oligarchy dominated by billionaires with growing political power - an assessment that he said had already been expressed publicly by Joe Biden upon leaving the White House.

Source: CNN