As we reported earlier, New York Times columnist and dog rape expert Nicholas Kristof wrote that America is marking its 250th birthday "with misgivings and malaise." Speak for yourself, buddy. The rest of us are celebrating with cookouts and fireworks. Another New York Times writer said yesterday that all of the practice flyovers were "nerve-wracking" and "it feels like the apocalypse." Just wait until the fireworks display — you'll probably want to get out of town or crawl under your bed.
On the day before Independence Day, The New York Times decided to publish a guest essay by Robin Givhan entitled, "Trump Ruined the Fourth of July for Me."
If a temporary elected leader “ruined” our country’s annual celebration of independence for you, then YOU are the problem. pic.twitter.com/nZpgDHtZRL
— Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) July 4, 2026
It looks like they've changed the headline.
Already changed lol https://t.co/e3BzX7pOu4 pic.twitter.com/idPpwcGZvK
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 4, 2026
The essay remains the same, though. Givhan writes:
It’s again the Fourth of July — this one the zenith in a yearlong celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday. Familiar red, white and blue bunting hangs from the windows of Washington’s monumental federal buildings as well as its charming rowhouses. Flags the size of lap pools drape entire structures, and visitors to the capital wrap themselves in the equivalent of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The usual flurry of tourists has grown into a cartoonish display of holiday visitors, one-upping one another with T-shirts that scream U.S.A., flag-striped board shorts and star-sequined baseball caps.
But this year, I can barely tolerate the sight of red, white and blue. When combined into a maximalist display of nationalist cheerleading, the colors make my heart ache.
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"Givhan is a Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion critic." Of course, she is. A "maximalist display of nationalist cheerleading" on the 250th anniversary of the country's founding? What are people thinking?
That makes me even more happy to celebrate our 250th birthday knowing there is another weak minded individual missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime day.
— Liberty Gardener (@CanWeBeRealNow) July 4, 2026
She needs to have something to be miserable about, and also plays to her TDS-afflicted readership.
— Redwood (@Redwood268769) July 4, 2026
Absolutely no one gives a fuck
— Jmarloe (@Jmarloe1608) July 4, 2026
That's a pretty interesting way to type up something to proclaim you are an idiot.
— Peter Palmer (@StarlitSpy) July 4, 2026
It is a choice to be miserable — to let a stranger control your emotional choices. https://t.co/ysSaGXtLZz
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) July 4, 2026
She enjoyed the fireworks when she was invited as a plus-one to watch on the White House grounds during the Clinton administration. But things are so different now. "The usual flurry of tourists has grown into a cartoonish display of holiday visitors, one-upping one another with T-shirts that scream U.S.A., flag-striped board shorts and star-sequined baseball caps," writes the fashion critic. She much preferred the scene at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, where "the crowd was diverse in race, age and gender" and "there wasn’t a lot of red, white and blue in that Chicago crowd."
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