America’s 250th Anniversary Should Be About America, NOT TRUMP

America only gets one 250th anniversary.

So why does it feel like America’s birthday is becoming yet another political battle centered around Donald Trump?

In this episode, I look at the growing controversy surrounding artists reportedly walking away from America 250 events and the strange discussion about putting Trump on a proposed $250 bill.

At what point does a national celebration stop being about the country and start becoming about one political figure?

I also talk about why so many Americans seem exhausted by the constant politicization of nearly everything and whether it’s still possible for the country to come together around something bigger than partisan politics.

Can America celebrate its 250th anniversary without turning it into another tribute to Donald Trump? Judging by what’s happening right now, that answer appears to be NO.

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Transcript

Setting Up The Controversy

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is O'Brien of Bone Man. This is a World Money Man.

SPEAKER_01 0:08

I'm Jeff Allen Wolf, and this is A World Gone Mad. When it comes to standing up for our democracy, I'm not backing down. Here we go.

Artists Drop Out Of Trump-Linked Event

SPEAKER_01 0:22

More artists are reportedly dropping out of a Trump-backed event connected to America's 250th anniversary celebration. And honestly, can anyone really be surprised? Let's be honest about what's happening here. This isn't complicated. Donald Trump has become one of the most divisive figures in modern American history. Whether you support him or oppose him, almost everything he touches instantly becomes political. That's the reality. A celebration that should be bringing Americans together suddenly becomes another battle in the never ending culture war. And many people are simply exhausted by it. The two hundred and fiftiet anniversary in the United States should be a remarkable moment. Think about that number for a second. Two hundred and fifty years. This grand experiment we call America. That's bigger than Donald Trump. That's bigger than Joe Biden. It's bigger than Republicans, Democrats, cable news, social media, and all the political nonsense that dominates our lives every day. It should be a chance to celebrate the country's history, achievements, struggles, and progress without immediately turning it into another partisan fight. But that's not what happens anymore. Trump has become such a dominant and controversial figure that many artists, performers, and public figures want nothing to do with events associated with him. They know that the moment they appear, the story stops being about America's anniversary and starts being about Donald Trump. Every headline becomes about Trump. Every social media argument becomes about Trump. Every television segment becomes about Trump. The celebration itself gets pushed into the background. I think that's what frustrates so many people. They're tired of everything becoming political. They're tired of every national symbol, every public event, every celebration, and every institution being dragged into partisan warfare. There are Americans who would love to celebrate the country's two hundred and fiftieth anniversary without having to declare loyalty to one political figure or another. Unfortunately, once Trump's name becomes attached to something, that becomes almost impossible. The irony is that many of the people refusing to participate aren't rejecting America. They're rejecting the idea that a national celebration should revolve around one politician, Trump. There's a difference. You could love your country and still refuse to participate in an event that you believe has become politically branded. At some point, Americans should be able to celebrate America without everything turning into a referendum on Donald Trump. That's what people want. They want a moment that belongs to our country rather than a political moment. Or a political movement. Whether that's still possible in today's political environment is another question entirely. The fact that artists continue to walk away tells you something and everything you need to know about how polarizing Trump remains. From millions of Americans, the moment his name becomes attached to something, the event itself is no longer the story. Donald Trump becomes the story. And after nearly a decade of non-stop Trump headlines, a lot of people have simply had enough.

The Push For A Trump $250 Bill

SPEAKER_01 4:56

Let me continue with this theme of everything becoming about Donald Trump. Because if the artists dropping out of the America 250th celebration didn't make the point clearly enough, this next story certainly does. They're now seriously discussing putting Donald Trump's face on a $250 bill, currency, as part of America's 250th anniversary. And I have to ask again, can we have one thing, just one thing, one national event that doesn't somehow turn into the Donald Trump show? Think about how ridiculous this is. America's about to celebrate 250 years as a nation. And somehow we've ended up in a conversation about putting Trump's face on money. Of course we have. Why wouldn't we? Somewhere there was probably a meeting that took place where somebody said, you know what would really bring Americans together? Currency with Donald Trump on it. And apparently nobody in the room stood up and said, you know, maybe America's birthday should be about America. That's the part that gets me. Every road leads back to Trump. Every conversation eventually becomes about Trump. Every major event gets pulled into the same gravitational field. It's actually impressive when you think about it. Scientists should study this. You could start with the country's 250th anniversary and somehow end up debating whether Donald Trump's picture belongs on currency. That's not politics anymore. That's a magic trick. Let's be honest. If somebody had pitched this idea as political satire 20 years ago, nobody would have believed it. A writer would have walked into a studio and said, I've got it. America turns 250 years old, and politicians want to put the president's face on a new $250 bill. The producer would look at him and say, That's too stupid. Make it realistic. But here we

Why People Feel Politically Exhausted

SPEAKER_01 7:31

are. And this is exactly why so many people are exhausted. Not because they spend every waking hour thinking about Donald Trump. Most people are trying to live their lives. They're trying to pay their bills. They're trying to afford groceries. They're trying to keep up with insurance premiums, housing costs, health care expenses, and everything else that's become more expensive over the past few years. Meanwhile, Washington is having a conversation that sounds like it was generated by a political parity website at 3 o'clock in the morning. What's especially amazing is that the people pushing this idea don't seem to understand why critics keep saying everything becomes about Trump. They hear that criticism and then immediately propose putting Trump on the money during America's 250th birthday celebration. That's like responding to complaints that you're too loud by buying a louder microphone. And that's what ties the story to the previous one. People keep asking why some artists want nothing to do with these events. Maybe it's because every conversation eventually stops being about America and starts being about, guess who? Maybe they're tired of watching every national celebration, every public institution, and every major event get transformed into another chapter in the same ongoing bullshit story. America's 250th anniversary should be about America. The fact that we're debating whether Donald Trump should be put on a $250 currency bill instead is exactly why so many people throw up their hands and say, can we please have one thing that isn't about him? Because after all these years, that question still doesn't seem to have an answer. I have to tell you, Wolfbeck listeners, I'm genuinely disgusted by all of this. Not amused, not entertained, disgusted. America only gets one 250th anniversary. One. That's it. We will never get another chance to celebrate this moment in our nation's history. And instead of talking about the country, we're talking about Donald frigging Trump. Again. That's what makes me angry. This should have been a moment where Americans could put politics aside for five freaking minutes and appreciate what an extraordinary experiment this country has been. An imperfect country? Absolutely. A country that makes mistakes? Of course. A country that's often fallen short of its own ideals? No question. But still a remarkable country with a remarkable history. That's what our 250th anniversary should be about. Instead, everything keeps getting dragged back into the same dark black hole. Donald Trump's parade, Donald Trump's celebration, Donald Trump's currency, Donald Trump's image, Donald Trump's ego, Donald Trump's endless need to be the center of every single conversation. At some point it stops being leadership and starts becoming an obsession. What hurts is that we'll never get this back. There isn't a do-over. There isn't another chance. There isn't a second 250th anniversary waiting around the corner. This was supposed to belong to our country. It was supposed to belong to all of us. Democrats, Republicans, independents, people who love politics, and people who can't stand politics. Americans! Instead, it feels like it's being transformed into another personality cult event revolving around one man. And let's be honest, that's exactly why so many artists are walking away. That's exactly why so many Americans are rolling their eyes. That's exactly why people are exhausted. They're tired of everything becoming a tribute to Donald Trump. They're tired of every institution, every celebration, every public event, and every national symbol getting pulled into the same orbit. The truly infuriating part is that none of this had to happen. Nobody forced this. Nobody demanded this. Somewhere along the way, people made a conscious decision to take one of the most important milestones in American history and wrap it around the ego of one politician. And that's the tragedy. Because America's 250th anniversary, repeating it, ladies and gentlemen, should have been about our country. Not Donald the delusional one, not Donald the egotistical, insecure child, not Donald Trump. Should have been about America. And the fact that we're even having to argue about this tells you just how badly this entire celebration for our country has already gone off the rails. This is so fundamentally wrong, it's absurd. We should be celebrating America, not Donald Dementia.

Share Your Take And Support

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Let me know how you feel about this, Wolfpack. Email me, wolfpacktalks at gmail.com. I would like to hear from you and hear your opinions. And if you enjoy my podcast, if you think they are informative, and if you get a laugh or two every now and then, please support the podcast through my GoFundMe. The link is in the description below this episode. I'm trying to build a website to get us all away from Facebook. So the money is going to go to a subscription and a website design. If you could help me out, it would be appreciated. I'm Jeff Fallon Wolf. This is a World Gone Mad. I'll be back Monday. Until then, I urge you, the Wolf, back. Remain skeptical. Question everything. Please don't lose hope. And most of all, stay alert.

SPEAKER_00 14:39

There is chaos in the world. Can't you see? And we need to stand up and freezer. A democracy. This is a world contact. This is a world understand.