{"id":5103,"date":"2026-07-05T12:47:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/05\/the-strangest-show-on-earth-lightning-imperial-hubris-and-a-boring-tour-of-trumps-rhetorical-back-alleys-david-smith\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T12:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:47:14","slug":"the-strangest-show-on-earth-lightning-imperial-hubris-and-a-boring-tour-of-trumps-rhetorical-back-alleys-david-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=5103","title":{"rendered":"The strangest show on earth: lightning, imperial hubris and a boring tour of Trump\u2019s rhetorical back alleys | David Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"1aadd828-f2b2-48f2-97b9-cb2decb6a1bd\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Donald Trump on stage in Washington DC with his arms outstretched\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/090d616ac0e486143aa7518087e84f7327a86539\/633_0_4337_3471\/master\/4337.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372.15010375835834\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Donald Trump committed the one sin that even his base cannot forgive.<\/span> Photograph: Alex Wroblewski\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"1aadd828-f2b2-48f2-97b9-cb2decb6a1bd\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Donald Trump committed the one sin that even his base cannot forgive.<\/span> Photograph: Alex Wroblewski\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">The strangest show on earth: lightning, imperial hubris and a boring tour of Trump\u2019s rhetorical back alleys<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1kvrm3n\">\n<p>Would we get a 21st-century Gettysburg address? Or YMCA, gripes about his legal woes and boasting about Iran? <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500\" class=\"dcr-1iwzucl\">T<\/span>he astronomer Carl Sagan once described Earth as a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. \u201cThink of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Donald Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/04\/trump-speech-dc-evacuation-thunderstorm\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">took the stage on Saturday night<\/a> imagining himself the master of the universe, not the temporary custodian of a country born around the same time as the hot-air balloon. The last decade was proof that \u201cdivine providence\u201d had made Trump president for America\u2019s 250th anniversary of independence, his aide Stephen Miller posted on social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Not even apocalyptic lightning bolts, which caused a four-hour delay, could stop Trump from putting his personal stamp on history. So, would we get a Gettysburg address for the 21st century? A deathless line like \u201cthe only thing we have to fear is fear itself\u201d? Or a noble call to service reminiscent of \u201cask not what your country can do for you \u2013 ask what you can do for your country\u201d?<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Alas, we did not. In blowing out the candles on the nation\u2019s birthday cake, Trump committed the one sin that even his base cannot forgive, especially after 12 hours of waiting in sun, wind and rain. He was actually quite boring. Which proves that, like New Year\u2019s Eve, big birthdays often tend to be anticlimactic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">This sad spectacle on the National Mall featured Teleprompter Trump, the one who has been warned by his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, to stay on script and at least pretend to sound presidential. But every now and then, like a glitch in the matrix, he reverted to his petty grievances and obsessions.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"a85760c8-4c47-4516-9408-8bce4017bcc3\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lightning strikes behind the illuminated Washington Monument, as people gather to watch 250th anniversary fireworks.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/4d1f88429779a2cae4a1c982d8c6f88279e44f49\/800_0_6853_5483\/master\/6853.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356.038961038961\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"a85760c8-4c47-4516-9408-8bce4017bcc3\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Lightning strikes behind the illuminated Washington Monument, as people gather to watch 250th anniversary fireworks.<\/span> Photograph: Nathan Howard\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThey estimated 375,000 people before everybody had to leave,\u201d he began, referring to a chaotic evacuation caused by the weather. \u201cThey now have 150,000 people.\u201d It was a wildly exaggerated claim from the man who said his inauguration was bigger than Barack Obama\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Trump and his wife, Melania, belatedly appeared on a temporary stage between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial that conveniently blocked views of his lurid green reflecting pool, which he has attempted to renovate, with farcical results. The set was framed by blue lights and had a red-and-white arch, all against the backdrop of an animated, billowing presidential seal with the words \u201c<em>E Pluribus Unum<\/em>\u201d \u2013 out of many, one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The president spoke with the hubris of one of those emperors that Sagan was so sceptical about. \u201cFor 250 years, the United States of America has been the hope, the promise, the light and the glory among all the nations of the world,\u201d he said. \u201cAll over the world they try to be like us. Nobody can be like us, and with God\u2019s help, we will always be the best, or even better. We are going to be better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Two and a half centuries after the break from the British crown was sealed by courageous revolutionaries in Philadelphia, Trump offered the obligatory acknowledgment of the founding fathers. \u201cThey declared that all men are created equal\u201d with rights including \u201clife, liberty and the pursuit of happiness\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Trump went on to extol American virtues but could not resist an aside. \u201cUnlike so many others in the world, in this country we have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equal justice under the law \u2013 although I was not treated that well, but we don\u2019t need to get into that \u2013 and the right to keep and bear arms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Indeed, sometimes you can watch Trump\u2019s brain work as if it is sitting in a jar with tiny flashes of light between synapses. Discussing a historic flag, he said: \u201cIt flew atop our flagship after America\u2019s navy sank the Spanish fleet to the bottom of Manila Bay \u2013 one of the greatest naval victories in history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">That triggered in his mind: \u201cMuch like our recent victory sinking the entire Iranian navy: 159 ships to the bottom of the sea, all done in just a moment\u2019s time. We have the greatest military anywhere in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"7600d9d2-db52-4c4f-b288-0e81ded8617f\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Fireworks over the National Mall\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/9a1b84057825f2376093786dd1bac29e423fa904\/1708_843_5816_4656\/master\/5816.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356.24484181568084\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"7600d9d2-db52-4c4f-b288-0e81ded8617f\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Fireworks over the National Mall.<\/span> Photograph: Allison Robbert\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Then another jarring segue as Trump described America as a nation of winners. \u201cWe want to keep America great, and we will do so by approving the Save America Act, which means all voters must show voter ID. All voters must provide proof of citizenship. And there will be no mail-in ballots, except for illnesses, disability, military deployment, or travel. You won\u2019t have cheating in the elections any more. It\u2019s very simple.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Happy birthday, everyone!<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Then, with showmanship reminiscent of his State of the Union addresses, Trump introduced centenarian veterans of Pearl Harbor, D-day and Iwo Jima with flags from those theatres of war. The crowd roared its approval.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"80af5019-831e-427f-8b50-512c3fb26c20\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-17 | 17\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-15vltj4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/04\/trump-speech-dc-evacuation-thunderstorm\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Trump hails \u2018golden age of America\u2019 in speech marking nation\u2019s 250th anniversary<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">These men had fought against German fascism and Japanese militarism. But Trump\u2019s brain did not really want to talk about that. He quickly swerved to the cold war and a midterm election message about godless communists taking over the Democratic party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cOur warriors did not fight communism on battlefields across the world only to have that menace rear its ugly head right back here in America. We are not going to let it happen. We like to stop a threat like that immediately, before it begins. It\u2019s like a cancer \u2013 you have to cut it out, and you have to cut it out fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Trump moved on to the Wright brothers\u2019 first flight and, just 66 years later, Americans planting their flag on the moon. He introduced the crew of Artemis II (a woman! a Canadian!) and Jack Schmitt of Apollo 17, who walked on the moon in 1972.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cSo I assume you\u2019re heading to Mars next?\u201d Trump said. \u201cI think that is something we do have in mind \u2013 we\u2019ll do the moon, and then we\u2019ll go from there, to Mars, and continue to be way ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Even in his closing remarks, intended to be an epic paean to America, Trump again diverted into the rhetorical back alleys of \u201csafe, gleaming and beautiful again\u201d Washington, the \u201cGulf of America\u201d and how everyone\u2019s 401(k)s are doing. This was not the stuff of Ken Burns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Trump declared: \u201cOver 250 years, the world has seen great empires, mighty nations, and terrible tyrants. They came, and they went. But after two and a half centuries, this American republic still stands tall and strong, and we love each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The message of love rang somewhat hollow from a US president who has sought to divide rather than unite the people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Then came a firework display that Trump had promised would be the biggest and best the world had ever seen (we shall let Guinness World Records be the judge of that), accompanied by loud music that included the Village People\u2019s YMCA.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"cc028106-f4d4-404e-8430-90cef2612f23\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-4\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Fireworks over the National Mall\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/b2ccf43532833163859516f7356dab5dee89dfa3\/316_0_4734_3789\/master\/4734.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356.16920152091257\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-4\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"cc028106-f4d4-404e-8430-90cef2612f23\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">People came from across the US to watch the fireworks.<\/span> Photograph: Allison Robbert\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">It all made for the strangest show on earth \u2013 the defeat of a king celebrated by a would-be king \u2013 and a distinctly partisan one. Hats that said \u201cMake America great again\u201d and \u201cTrump was right about everything\u201d were in abundance. Earlier in the evening, when the crowd was ordered to evacuate, there was defiance in the air that matched the angry roar of military jets flying overhead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Many refused the Secret Service\u2019s pleas to leave, chanting \u201cUSA! USA!\u201d and \u201cWe want Trump!\u201d. One could even be heard remarking: \u201cWe need January 6 mark II.\u201d Eventually they relented and, in an ironic twist, some took shelter at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Not everyone, however, had come solely to witness Trump\u2019s underwhelming delivery. Kenneth Edwards, 43, a teacher, had driven all the way from Tallahassee, Florida, to see the fireworks and so his daughter could make a TikTok video at the Washington Monument. \u201cWe\u2019ll road trip for almost anything, so 13 hours for a TikTok? We\u2019ll do that, if need be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">What about Trump? \u201cI don\u2019t get into all of the politics and stuff, man,\u201d Edwards replied. \u201cI just wanted to bring my kids to see some really cool fireworks.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/series\/the-us-politics-sketch\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">The US politics sketch<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/features\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">features<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=The%20strangest%20show%20on%20earth:%20lightning,%20imperial%20hubris%20and%20a%20boring%20tour%20of%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20rhetorical%20back%20alleys%20%7C%20David%20Smith&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/05\/donald-trump-address-strangest-show-on-earth?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fjul%2F05%2Fdonald-trump-address-strangest-show-on-earth&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/jul\/05\/donald-trump-address-strangest-show-on-earth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-axwinp\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Donald Trump committed the one sin that even his base cannot forgive. Photograph: Alex Wroblewski\/AFP\/Getty Images View image<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}