Analysis: Tricorn hats or Trump rally? Americans have July Fourth options | CNN Politics

A version of this story appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. The United States is celebrating a jubilee: July Fourth is the 250th anniversary, or semiquincentennial, of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the foundational document for Western democracy. Donald Trump, more than any president in the centuries since then, challenges some of the basic ideas of the document, which was written as list of complaints against the king of England. The Declaration of Independence: Annotated 250 years later — during the Trump era So it seems predictable that, rather than a Fourth of July celebration for Americans of all political persuasions, he’s advertising the massive fireworks display on the National Mall as “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all, a ‘TRIBUTE TO AMERICA.’” Instead of popular music acts, most of whom pulled out of the show, the rally will feature military bands the president commands, and his own personal playlist. In honor of “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” we’re likely to hear Trump’s favorite song, “YMCA,” by the Village People. Even if close to half of voters had