Please Note: The following article is current as of July 2019
Fourth of July celebrations in Washington are known to be grand displays of patriotism and extravagant showmanship, but traditionally they were not intended to be displays of America’s military prowess. That was, until now.
This year’s Fourth of July celebration was named “Salute to America” by President Trump and featured the traditional lineup of marching bands, dance routines, cultural floats. The celebration was also marked by new additions, new additions, which included a gun salute, a flyover of Air Force One, flyovers from the United States Armed Forces jets, and the appearance of military tanks and fighting vehicles. Allegedly, Trump was inspired to put America’s military power on display at the Fourth of July celebration after attending the French Bastille Day celebration in 2017, which typically features French military tanks and fighter jets during the procession in Paris. While Trump’s rumoured inspiration is unconfirmed, it is not difficult to draw similarities between the two celebrations given the addition of the military displays during this year’s Fourth of July festivities.
Additionally, Trump delivered a seemingly non-partisan speech during the celebrations, much to the surprise of many critics. This came as a shock to many given that the President often relies on highly divisive language during his speeches and interviews. Trump instead delivered an address focused on America’s history of military achievements and boasted about the country’s military might. During his speech, the President invited military leaders to the stage and also paid respect to gold star families- the families of armed forces members killed in the line of duty. These program features, alongside Trump’s speech added to the display of the U.S’s. great military strength, and drew in a fair amount of criticism from Trump’s political opponents.
While criticism towards the militarization of such a revered national holiday is justified, it is critical to understand why such festivities would be militarized to begin with. As the far-right has gained a great deal of political traction in the United States, it is a natural consequence that these far-right political ideologies will be expressed through a variety of avenues that are political or otherwise. Whether it be through media reports, rallies, protests or hate crimes, it is clear that these ideologies are being expressed through a number of different avenues.
In this particular case, the expression of far-right ideologies took the form of the militarization of Fourth of July. The Fourth of July is intended to be a holiday for all to celebrate the independence of America and should be free from partisan politics. And while Trump correctly avoided any mention of partisan politics during his speech, the militarization of the celebration on a whole represents a covert display of far-right ideology. That is, this year’s July 4th celebration could be interpreted as a covert attempt to signal to the world that countries who are in opposition to the United States should reconsider their position given America’s long-standing military strength.
Such a conclusion would not necessarily be far-reaching given Trump’s well-documented history of enacting retaliatory measures against countries who he perceives as acting against the best interests of America. By projecting an image of military strength, the President is likely signaling that the U.S. has the military prowess to defend itself against countries it perceives as an economic or political threat. Having an image of being a strong defensive country could be an attempt to thwart future opposition to American policies and ensure that countries are more likely to agree to terms that are favourable to the U.S. when they participate in joint negotiations.
With the militarization and politicization of this long-standing, historical celebration, it is evident that nothing is off-limits in regards to political self-expression. If a time-honoured event such as the Fourth of July celebration is vulnerable to being politicized, then surely anything else is as well. Trump has been successful in normalizing this display of militarization under the guise of patriotism and national unity. Under Trump’s vision of America, the far-right is becoming increasingly emboldened in their displays of patriotism, nationalism, and opposition to individuals, groups, or state actors they perceive as a threat to the nation’s identity and well-being. The militarization of the Fourth of July is a symptom of this ideological expression and demonstrates that in Trump’s America, anything is at risk of being politicized for the political gains of the far-right movement.
By Alyssa Atef
Please note that opinions expressed are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views and values of The Blank Page.
