All Men Are Created Equal — Aren’t They?

Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota depicting Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. Trump gave a speech there on 3 July 2026 that laid out a playbook for his autocratic regime to remain in place for “one hundred years.” More on that below. Despite Trump’s desire to be added to the memorial, park officials explain that geologically, it is not possible. (Picture courtesy of the National Park Service)

This weekend we celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence and we mark it as the founding of the United States of America. I hope that you were able to celebrate in your own way given that much of the eastern part of the country was suffering from temperatures in triple digits. I went to an early morning neighborhood parade of mostly young kids on their decorated bicycles. It was fun. I also enjoyed watching the Sail4th 250 parade of tall ships and the military aircraft flyover of the New York City harbor. Despite the heat it looked like participants and spectators alike thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings. It was a celebration in the fullest meaning of the word. I sensed joy, unity, pride and fun.

Sail4th 250 was a distinct contrast to the Trump arranged Freedom 250 that hijacked the national mall and celebrated Trump. Using Park Service money — money dearly needed to maintain and run our national parks — and money from the Congressionally approved non-partisan America250 celebration, Trump turned the event into an unpleasant, disagreeable, poorly attended disappointment. Congressional Democrats are investigating the entire operation, but as they put the story together, it appears that Trump entities and cronies may have received a lot of taxpayer money for a poorly executed public embarrassment.

The United States of America is founded on an idea. We should take seriously the words of the Preamble that read, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.” Our nation is not based on a common religion, or ethnicity or allegiance to one person. We know that the Founding Fathers meant that “all men” were white men that owned property. However, those words have driven our country forward, sometimes with agonizing events and grinding slow speed, but forward to an ever inclusive society. As Princeton Professor Eddie Glaude, Jr explains in his most recent book America, USA: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries, our “storybook” history of our search for “a more perfect Union” has a major contradiction. We cannot be both a beacon of freedom to all the world and a white nationalist country run by rich white males.

Trump cannot or will not accept the fundamental ideals upon which our nation rests. In his Mount Rushmore speech he laid out a totally different vision of America. Our Founding Fathers, whatever their flaws, and there were many, were patriots. The people Trump reveres are nationalists. Patriotism and nationalism are not the same thing.

This is not a new position for Trump. In a wide ranging interview on Wolf Blitzer’s CNN show Late Edition in March 2004 Trump said, “But the phrase that ‘all men are created equal’ is a wonderful phrase, but unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. All men are not created equal. Some are born with a genius and some are born without. Now, you need that. If you don’t have that, you can forget it.” (In the same interview he also claimed “And it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans. Now, it shouldn’t be that way. But if you go back, I mean it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats.”)

Before the speech, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt promised that Trump would describe what it means to be an American. Instead, Trump announced that he was going to “exile” Americans that did not agree with his vision of America. He used the playbook of Authoritarianism 101. Roughly the first third of the speech was the usual politician’s speech on a national occasion, although he can never leave out his grievances and personal victimhood, Then he starts to build the case. He defines who belongs in America. He reflects on the divine power of God and the blessings bestowed on our country by God above all others. He emphasizes western European heritage without mentioning the contributions to our country from citizens from Africa or Latin America. He uses the words “breed,” “character” and “culture” countless times and always in the context of those that belong in America and have the right qualities as opposed to all of those that are in our country that do not.

Then he really got down to business. Using the same fear tactic that every fascist leader from around the globe has used since the beginning of the twentieth century, he went after “the communists.” Let him tell you in his own words:

“Yet, as we approach this magnificent anniversary, we see our American identity under a renewed attack. A generation after we fought and won the Cold War against the menace of communism, there is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success. These are not mere political disagreements like differences over taxes or regulations. Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty. It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, or even 9-11. We’re not going to let this happen to us. Believe me, we’re not letting it happen. Because communism is the enemy of free people everywhere, everywhere in the world. Never works. It’s the enemy of the Constitution. Above all, it’s the enemy of July 4th, 1776. It is the enemy indeed.“

Who are these godless communists you may ask? Over the last few weeks, Trump has been building the case that the Democrat Party is really the Communist Party. Accordingly, Trump must think that roughly half of America’s citizens are communists and are a threat to our nation. Or more specifically according to Trump, “The Communist Party is made up of illegal immigrants, criminals, and everybody that doesn’t want to work. Communism is a loser. It always was, and it is right now. It’s a big loser. Look at the people that are promoting it.“

The solution? “We’re not going to let them take too long or too much of our time as they play their games and send them into exile. We will send them quickly away…” His vision of America on the eve of our 250th birthday — round up those that do not go along with the MAGA philosophy of a white male Christian nationalist country.

But just to make sure, Trump is going to arrange for his supporters to win every election for the next one hundred years. He declared, “We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms if we are foolish, stupid, and unwise. But if we terminate the filibuster as we should do and immediately vote for the Save America Act, then we will not lose an election for 100 years. We do that. We’re not going to lose an election for 100 years.” If you can’t win it, rig it.

I fear for our country. This man, a convicted felon and adjudicated sexual abuser (the Supreme Court would not hear his appeal) who already tried to steal an election is not going to let a little thing like the will of the people get in his way. He will do whatever it takes. I am not putting my hope in the judicial system either. While district and appellate courts have been firm in stopping the wildest notions of the Trump regime, the Supreme Court seems ready to continue to give him as much power as he wants. Their decisions over the last two weeks confirms that in my mind. I take no solace in the fact that they voted 6-3 (!!! and if you look closely it was really 5-4) that the Constitution is constitutional. The idea that a president, through an Executive Order no less, can undo a key component of the Fourteenth Amendment and four of the Justices essentially agree with that is not very calming. (The case was Trump v Barbara and involved birthright citizenship, one of the key foundational ideals of our country. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.“)

Trump made over two billion dollars in profit in his first year in office. His cronies are also getting unbelievably rich. Elon Musk cut aid to dying people around the world through DOGE and he is now a trillionaire. Trump does not plan to go anywhere and those around him as advisers and friends don’t want him to go anywhere either. We are in for some tough times over the coming year.

At the same time our country has been through tough times before. I still have the belief that more and more people are going to catch on to what is happening to our country and they will not settle for it. Not everyone, but enough.

Happy birthday America!