America marked its 250th anniversary of independence Saturday in a manner fitting with the times in 2026.
Military jets buzzed crowds of awestruck parents and children. The air filled with the sounds of fireworks, even before the sun set. Classic cars and marching bands crept along parade routes, nodding to the nostalgia-tinged mid-century that has come to dominate the notion of “a better time.”
But it did not take long for the divisive politics of our age to take center stage.
It started with a fiery speech by President Trump Friday, in which he railed against communism, followed by Democratic leaders slamming him for divisive, harmful rhetoric on a day that should bring people together.
Some July 4th celebrants wanted to talk about anything but politics. Topics ranged from California’s lovely weather to the dangerously broiling temperatures on the East Coast to the World Cup, where Sunday Mexico will take on England in a game where many — in L.A. at least — are likely to share our founding fathers’ disdain for the Brits.
In Santa Monica, parade-goers lined Main Street decked out in shiny red, white and blue leis and tank tops bearing stars and stripes. They waved small American flags as salted sea air wafted in from the Pacific Ocean.
Venice resident Dana Paris, wearing a red, white and blue U.S. soccer jersey, attended the annual event for the first time. Amid global political turmoil, “I just feel like I have to be out here, showing my colors, showing my Americanism and remembering that we are all different,” she said.
Jim Kennedy, walking alongside the Santa Monica Democratic Club, pointed to the World Cup as a unifying force — particularly the U.S. men’s national team’s performance. The team’s recent winning match against Bosnia and Herzegovina drew a record-smashing American audience of 33.5 million viewers.
Hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada, the international sporting event drew controversy, much of it focused on American immigration policies under the second Trump Administration. Iran’s team became the first in World Cup history to compete in a host nation at war with its country. Yet a major theme to emerge has been the cross-cultural connections forged by fans.
“We just got to keep our spirit and willpower to address [problems] and come together as a people,” said Kennedy, wearing a World Cup chain and accompanied by daughter and niece on roller skates.
A short drive up the coast, Pacific Palisades held its first Independence Day celebrations since the Palisades fire devastated the community last year. Festivities kicked off with 5K and 10K runs, along with a kids run, to be followed by a parade and fireworks. Last year’s run took place in Venice due to the destruction wrought by the fires.
“It’s great to see people that I know and my friends back here together running the race,” a young man identified as Anders told KTLA. He added that his house burned down, and “it’s great to be back.”
Thousands showed up to Huntington Beach’s holiday parade, billed as the biggest west of the Mississippi River and going strong for 122 years.
Hundreds chose a more grueling means of celebration at an annual Ironman competition in Hermosa Beach. In its 36th year, the race includes a mile-long run on the beach and a mile-long paddle in the ocean. The final challenge is chugging a 6-pack of beer immediately after emerging from the water.
Temperatures in the beach cities pleasantly hovered in the 70s, a stark contrast to East Coast communities broiling in a heat wave. Washington D.C and Philadelphia were expected to reach around 100 degrees. (Meanwhile, it was a mild 68 degrees in Philly on July 4, 1776, per a diary kept by Thomas Jefferson.)
While the dangerous temperatures shuttered a slew of events, celebrants still packed the streets in Boston, Philadelphia and New York.
Even as revelers scarfed hot dogs and engaged in other holiday traditions, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence came during a period of U.S. history mired by fierce political divisions. With a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding birthright citizenship — which President Trump sought to limit — the question of who gets to be an American is top of mind for many.
During a speech Friday night at Mount Rushmore, Trump extolled American exceptionalism before hearkening to one of the darkest periods of the nation’s last century by focusing on communism, calling it 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,” he said, also demanding that Congress pass the so-called SAVE America Act, which would impose stricter voter ID laws.
Trump’s comments come as left-wing progressives like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have risen as political forces to be reckoned with.
Former President Bill Clinton, painted those in the White House as threats to “democracy itself.”
“The people in charge have unleashed masked agents on American communities to seize people from their homes, workplaces, and the street,” he wrote in a statement. “They have started an unconstitutional war on a whim, with no clear objectives or exit strategy, and zero regard for the consequences to the lives of millions of people around the world.”
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom similarly pointed a finger at the White House, specifically calling out Trump in a lengthy statement. Trump “doesn’t care about you, he doesn’t care about America, and he hardly cares about his own political party,” he said.
Raising the specter of Trump attempting to meddle with the upcoming Midterm elections, he said he’s working on new legislation in California that would make it a felony to seize ballots before the vote has been certified by state and county officials.
Fourth of July celebrations were somber at the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Westwood, where a small handful of families visited the resting places of their fallen loved ones.
Ana Fajardo sat in a green folding chair by the grave of her son Edgar E. Lopez, a Marine Corps sergeant who was killed in enemy action in Iraq’s Babil province in 2004. A bouquet of red, white and blue flowers rested against the tombstone. A small star-shaped Mylar balloon was staked into the grass on the other side.
Farjado’s voice wavered as she recalled one of her son’s promises: “He told me every time he’ll be at home: ‘Mom, don’t worry when you don’t work, when you’re doing nothing. I’ll take care of you.’”
Amid the United States’ continued involvement in Middle East conflicts, Farjado recalls her son made clear he chose to put his life on the line for the United States of America. “When he went the first time, he told me, ‘Ma, don’t worry if something happens to me because I fight for the country.’”
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