America at 250: 77% say founders would be disappointed as Trump stages a MAGA rally amid Supreme Court rebukes
On the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, the United States faces a crisis of confidence: 77% of citizens think the founders would be disappointed, and President Trump is staging a massive political rally to claim the patriotic narrative.
A strained celebration
President Trump marked the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with what his administration called an 'ENORME' political rally, casting the day as a personal platform for his Make America Great Again agenda. The event, held four months before midterm elections and amid an unresolved war with Iran, fused July 4th celebrations with MAGA iconography, a move that critics said appropriated a national holiday for partisan gain.
Nos encontramos en una situación en la que la propia Constitución ha fracasado, en la que sus instituciones fundamentales no funcionan demasiado bien y en la que estas instituciones están ignorando o incumpliendo sus obligaciones constitucionales.
Institutional fences
Even as the rally unfolded, the Supreme Court delivered two setbacks to the White House this week. The conservative-dominated court refused to let Trump eliminate birthright citizenship by decree and ruled that mail-in ballot counting could continue after polls close, preserving the mechanics of voting. Separately, the Senate dealt a blow to the president's Middle East strategy when four Republican lawmakers broke ranks to deny the executive unilateral war powers, a sign that party discipline has limits.
Crisis of confidence
Three recent polls paint a picture of deep national pessimism. A Gallup survey found 77% of Americans believe the founding fathers would be disappointed with the current state of the country, the highest level recorded, up from 71% in 2013 and just 42% in 2001. Only 19% said they would be satisfied. A Pew Research Center study from May added that nearly two out of three Americans think the nation's best days are already behind it.
- 2001
- 42 %
- 2013
- 71 %
- 2026
- 77 %
Jack N. Rakove, professor emeritus at Stanford and Pulitzer Prize winner, described the moment as a constitutional crisis in which fundamental institutions are ignoring their obligations. Trump's overall approval rating hovers below 40%, though he retains over 80% support among his most loyal voters.
A name from 1776
The very name 'United States of America' may have a Spanish origin. Historical research cited by the Hispanic Council suggests that Luís de Unzaga, Spanish governor of Louisiana, addressed a 1776 letter to General Charles Lee as 'General de los Estados Unidos Americanos', the first documented use of the country's modern name by a European power.
