Don't let Trump rain on the nation's parade

Washington Post

a day ago

The heart of the nation's civic calendar is the period between Memorial Day, honoring those who gave their last breath, and Independence Day, when the country drew its first.
In between, there is Juneteenth, the newest federal holiday that commemorates the end of slavery and a second founding. Flag Day is June 14, marking the anniversary of the adoption of the Stars and Stripes. That date is also the birthday of the U.S. Army, which turns 250 this year. And the day is Donald Trump's birthday, too, which stamps the president's uncritical and theatrical brand of patriotism at the center of a bigger conversation about pride in America.
This year, Trump will get the parade that he's long desired. The Army's historic milestone provides the occasion for a mile-long military procession to wind its way through the nation's capital on Saturday. This will be the first such event in three decades, and the first not associated with a presidential inauguration or victory in war. Given this rarity and the coincidence of dates — the flag, the Army and Trump all sharing a birthday — the parade has taken on more meaning than just the celebration of an institution.
Democratic lawmakers have accused Trump of hijacking the historical anniversaries in service of his own ego and political benefit. There's bipartisan angst about the parade's hefty price tag of up to $45 million, and mayoral concerns that damage to city streets could cost $16 million. Some of Trump's supporters anticipate a glorious spectacle, seeing the convergence of birth dates as evidence of his consecration: 'Providential,' as current U.S. chief of protocol Monica Crowley describes it. 'Hand of God, for sure.' All the bickering and zealotry are enough to make real patriots lose their religion — however many of them remain.
Patriotism is on the decline in the United States, and the word itself has become contentious. It's perceived as partisan, and there's a generational divide, with younger Americans having far less attachment to the label and the idea. Its most garish displays are often associated with an intolerant love-it-or-leave-it nationalism. It seems fickle in practice — voters feel more patriotic when their candidate wins the White House; it surges, not in peaceful times, but immediately after an attack. And the honorific is assigned frivolously, given alike by presidents to soldiers who died defending the Constitution and to Jan. 6 convicts who violated it by storming the Capitol. These realities have stigmatized the whole concept, undermining what it means anymore to be proud of the country.
National holidays and commemorations are inherently political; they communicate which people and moments to honor. And rituals are good for nations; they offer meaning and connection that signal our willingness to belong. But though few things spell civic pride like a parade, when politics co-opts the ritual and treats it like religion, it's as likely to create believers as it is heathens. And the most divisive politicians tell the country who is which, fashioning themselves as saints in the process. No wonder fewer of us identify as patriots.
But does it also mean fewer of us should be proud of our country? Not in agreement with its actions or proud of its choices on any given day, but proud of its journey over time. Proud of the many people who fought for equality, and of the cultures and ideas they gave life to. And proud of its progress, even where work remains. In 1852, Frederick Douglass's historic speech asked: 'What to the slave is the Fourth of July?' What to the enslaved would Juneteenth National Independence Day mean, signed into law while a Black woman was vice president? Today wouldn't be their heaven, but it's a far better nation than the one they knew, maybe even better than one they thought possible. I think they would be proud. We should be, too — no matter which party holds the White House, and no matter which brand of patriotism predominates.
They would definitely throw a parade. Newly emancipated men and women held the earliest Memorial Day observance in May 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina, honoring fallen Union soldiers by singing an ode to the flag, 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' and marshaling a parade of 10,000 people. A few weeks later, on June 19, the Army informed the last corner of Texas of slavery's end. Juneteenth has been filled with festivals and parades ever since.
At the heart of our calendar are people of all colors from all places who felt pride in their history despite experiencing injustice, and who found pride in America though they had reasons not to. Real patriots know there is room for both shame and pride; they meet the former with a fighting spirit and the latter with a celebratory one.
As it happens, the Army is central to all the national observances in these civic six weeks. Older than the nation by a year, its history is likewise imperfect, but its 250 years of service is more than worthy of commemoration. The flag and the country have also earned their anniversaries. And their critiques and protests, too. White House planners expect paradegoers will spontaneously serenade the president for his birthday, flags streaming and battle tanks tracking down Constitution Avenue. But president and parade and politics aside, there's no shame in being proud of the people and institutions — in uniform and out — who have fought to make America live better, and help it see another year.