As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary of independence from Britain, and as Donald Trump marks his 80th birthday, a new podcast episode from The Guardian US columnist and Zeteo editor-in-chief Mehdi Hasan examines the current state of the country and its president.
A Nation at a Crossroads
This weekend kicks off an extravaganza of celebrations for the US, commemorating two and a half centuries since the Declaration of Independence. Simultaneously, Donald Trump will celebrate turning 80 years old. Past presidents might have used such a milestone anniversary to promote national unity, but Trump is organizing a cage fight instead. The president insists that every decent, flag-waving American will enjoy the festivities, or at least be talking about the party rather than what he has brought to it.
Unpopularity and Concerns
However, Mehdi Hasan argues that there is not much to be cheerful about. He describes Trump as a deeply unpopular president, one of the most unpopular in modern American history at this point in his presidency, if not the most unpopular. He accuses Trump of nakedly, brazenly, and unashamedly trying to hijack the celebrations for his own benefit.
While speculation surrounds Trump's health, Hasan tells Nosheen Iqbal that it is the state of the nation that should worry us. He points to a very serious assault on the constitution, on liberal democracy, and on the idea of three co-equal branches of government. He warns that we lose track of this with distractions like the UFC, gold, and ballroom events, but that this is actually a very dangerous moment for American democracy at 250 years.
