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David Corn <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The below article first appeared<\/a>\u00a0in David Corn\u2019s newsletter,\u00a0<\/em>Our Land.\u00a0The newsletter\u00a0comes out twice a week (most of the time) and provides behind-the-scenes stories and articles about politics, media, and culture. Subscribing costs just $5 a month\u2014but you can\u00a0sign up for a free 30-day trial<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n As the nation<\/span> celebrates its 249th birthday, it\u2019s hard not to wonder about the future of the American experiment. Two-and-a-half centuries ago, a collection of disparate colonies overcame regional differences to forge a nation. Sure, on slavery, the most divisive issue of the time, they punted. And the mighty rhetoric of freedom and liberty was deployed to the advantage of wealthy male landowners. Nevertheless, despite their differences, they banded together beneath a banner of ideals for a common cause.<\/p>\n These days, the people in charge do not seem keen on bolstering our communality. President Trump and his MAGA cult are propelled more by animus and retribution\u2014let\u2019s crush the libs!\u2014than by a desire to strengthen the bonds among the diverse citizens of this large nation. In a highly symbolic act that did not receive sufficient attention, Trump declined to attend the funeral of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who had been assassinated by a\u00a0Trump supporter<\/a>\u00a0who opposed abortion rights and gay rights. The day of that memorial <\/strong>ceremony, Trump golfed with Republican leaders and posted on social media, \u201cWHY ARE THE DEMOCRATS ALWAYS ROOTING AGAINST AMERICA???\u201d Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance spends much of his time\u00a0snarkily trolling<\/a>\u00a0progressives and Democrats on social media.<\/p>\n This pair evinces absolutely no interest in bridging gaps, healing wounds\u2014much less in serving as role models of comity and decency. At every opportunity, they choose bombast and insult over discourse and debate. They seek to divide and conquer, and they define their politics by identifying and pummeling enemies. In one conversation I had with Barack Obama when he was president, he remarked, \u201cI am the president of all Americans, including those who did not vote for me. I have to consider what\u2019s best for them, even the ones who don\u2019t like me.\u201d That\u2019s not how Trump and Vance see it.<\/p>\n Trump has no recognition of the public interest, only his own self-interest. Which is how we ended up with the atrocious legislation passed by congressional Republicans this week. As we have heard repeatedly, it gives to the wealthy (handing them huge tax breaks) and robs from the poor (stripping millions of Americans of their health care coverage and slashing food assistance for children). Even Republicans who initially opposed these draconian provisions\u2014including those who represent huge numbers of Medicaid recipients, as well as other constituents who will be severely harmed by this legislation\u2014allowed themselves to be bullied by Trump and his MAGA henchmen into voting for it. The measure is estimated to expand the deficit by $3.3 trillion or so over 10 years (and maybe more). It will pour $100 billion into ICE and border enforcement, bolstering the burgeoning police state that the Trump administration is creating to deport law-abiding and hard-working residents. (For comparison\u2019s sake, the annual FBI budget is $11.4 billion.)<\/p>\n The message to many Americans is this: We will pick your pocket to deport people who work the jobs you\u2019d rather not.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Besides breathtaking cruelty, this bill features an absurd internal logic. Trump claimed that undocumented immigrants must be rounded up for the sake of American prosperity. Yet to pay for this operation, he and his Republican minions will\u00a0decrease<\/em>\u00a0after-tax income for some Americans within the lower 20 percent and snatch health insurance from millions\u2014and cause fiscal instability. Moreover, expelling millions of migrants will likely trigger a labor shortage that will spur a rise in prices. The message to many Americans is this: We will pick your pocket to deport people who work the jobs you\u2019d rather not.<\/p>\n In a much-noticed\u00a0social media post<\/a>, Vance declared that the impact of the cuts in Medicaid and nutrition assistance of the bill were \u201cimmaterial compared to the ICE money and immigration enforcement provisions.\u201d As if persecuting immigrants will offset the human suffering this bill yields. Try telling that to a parent whose child goes hungry or an adult child whose parent loses his or her care for dementia. Or a low-income family that will have to get by with several hundred dollars less a year.<\/p>\n The gleeful malice of the past few months has been nauseating. Trump, Elon Musk, and their crew relished demolishing USAID, not pausing for a nanosecond to consider the dire consequences. A\u00a0new study<\/a>\u00a0concludes that from 2001 to 2021 USAID programs prevented 92 million deaths in 133 nations. This included 25 million deaths caused by HIV\/AIDS, 11 million from diarrhea diseases, 8 million from malaria, and 5 million from tuberculosis. The study forecasts that the annihilation of USAID will lead to 14 million deaths in the next five years. Yet Trump, Musk, and others have cheered the demise of this agency. How can plutocrats be so mean? The USAID budget last year was a mere 0.3 percent of the total federal budget.<\/p>\n Down the line, Trump and his MAGA band have expressed little concern or empathy for those clobbered by their vengeful policies. They are smashing the scientific research infrastructure of the nation and assaulting universities. They are demonizing public servants. They are eviscerating laws that protect our water and air\u2014the common resources we share\u2014and sacrificing our children\u2019s future by unplugging programs that address climate change. All while recklessly vilifying their fellow Americans who disagree with these moves as enemies of the nation. Hatred is the currency of their realm\u2014and crypto is the currency of their corruption.<\/p>\n This is a far cry from the originators of the union who were forced to overcome differences to achieve independence and place America, with all its ills, on the path to becoming one of the most dynamic forces in human history.<\/p>\n So on July 4, 2025, we can celebrate the imperfect start of our national enterprise, despite the dark turn it has taken. As we do so\u2014and as we contend with the discouraging and disturbing developments of the moment\u2014we ought to keep in mind a fundamental fact: There are more of us than them. More Americans reject the cruelty of Trump\u2019s mass deportation crusade than accept it. More Americans oppose the profoundly unfair billionaires-enriching-Medicaid-slashing-deficit-busting tax-and-spending mega-bill than embrace it. More Americans disdain the Trump presidency than hail it.<\/p>\n The question at hand, all these years after Thomas Jefferson provided the original pitch deck for American democracy, is whether the majority can triumph. Can it overcome institutional barriers, disinformation, and distraction and find a path toward responsible governance that addresses the shared interests and values of the citizenry? We all may have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But it demands great work\u2014eternal vigilance<\/a>, you might say\u2014to protect that right so we all can put it to good use.<\/p>\n Enjoy your burgers, hot dogs, tofu sausages, and ice cream.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n