As America celebrated its independence, while divided on the true nature of its values, it also braced for a toxic presidential campaign likely to deepen its political trauma and again push the election system to its limits.
Donald Trump, for example, put on a July Fourth weekend show of force, highlighting his early dominance of the Republican race for president and the stiff task his rivals face in trying to thwart his bid to win their party’s nomination for the third time in a row.
The former commander in chief drew a massive crowd at a rally in the key early state of South Carolina on Saturday, which reverberated with his false claims about election interference and over his indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents after he left office. But the raucous event in Pickens also showed the enduring power of his personality and feral political appeal to GOP base voters. And, coupled with his lead in primary polling, it should be a warning to Democrats that the most disruptive president in modern history has a realistic chance of a White House reprise that would likely be even more tumultuous than his first term.
“We will rescue freedom, liberty and justice and propel that spirit of July 4, 1776,” Trump said, spelling out a message that delights supporters but that grates with those reeling from his assault on democracy after his 2020 defeat.
