Thursday on the RealClearPolitics podcast, Carl Cannon, Tom Bevan, and Andrew Walworth look forward to the celebrations this weekend marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, including a “really long speech” from the president and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani urging citizens to turn down the AC. Juan Williams joins for a wider July 4th conversation about the Declaration of Independence, America’s progress toward its founding ideals, and why patriotism has become increasingly partisan. The group also discusses the rise of democratic socialist candidates, and whether the party’s moderate wing can hold off pressure from the left. The show closes with Carl and Tom sharing favorite American history stories. Listen live weekdays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111, or on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or other platforms.

00:00 – Opening: Trump Promises “Really Long Speech” for America 250 Celebration Walworth, Cannon, and Bevan look forward to celebrations this weekend marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and what brings us together. Watch: Trump: Lucky They Cheated In 2020, I Get To Be President For Olympics, World Cup, 250th Anniversary “It’s really fortuitous that the World Cup is being hosted mostly in America on our 250th birthday,” Tom Bevan said. “It’s been a wonderful showcase for the country, and at the same time has brought the country together to inspire this team to do what no American team has done for the last quarter-century, which is make it through the first stage of the knockout round.” “Attendance at this Great American State Fair is really pretty weak. But yesterday, the place was packed last night with soccer fans,” Carl Cannon said. “This would be something the president could celebrate, but he is busy threatening Mexico with tariffs this week. So I think he’s lost the plot a little bit.” *** 13:32 – NYC Feels the Warmth of Collectivism The panel reacts to Mayor Zohran Mamdani telling New Yorkers to keep their air conditioning at 78 during the height of summer heat. Watch: NYC Mayor Mamdani tells New Yorkers to set thermostat to 78 degrees “I couldn’t help but think of his phrase: ‘The warmth of collectivism.’ The jokes write themselves,” Cannon said. *** 17:40 – The Greatest Sentence Ever Written Juan Williams joins the show to discuss the Declaration of Independence and how much America has lived up to the promise that all men are created equal” and what the phrase “Founding Fathers” really means. Juan’s book: New Prize for These Eyes: The Rise of America’s Second Civil Rights Movement “From a historical lens, we’re doing great,” he said. “If you took the Founding Fathers on a time-travel trip and landed them in New York City in 2026 for the semiquincentennial, and they saw men walking down the street with women on their way to work at Wall Street, and all these people of color, and immigrants, and they saw Asians as the fastest-growing minority in the country, they would be like: ‘What happened? This is not the country we created.'” “But I note that Jefferson also said that he was not writing a permanent Constitution. He believed it was a Constitution that would be amended with time and adapt to different people in different circumstances. This was what the Founding Fathers wrote,” he added. *** 24:10 – How Patriotism Became Partisan Tom Bevan asks Juan Williams why polls show Democrats are far less likely than Republicans to say they are proud of America. “Twenty-three percent of Democrats, 69% of Republicans,” Bevan said. “What is it that has Democrats so focused on our flaws instead of our achievements over the last 250 years? Do you think it’s all Donald Trump?” Associated Press: Americans’ pride in US history and democracy drops, and fewer are proud to be American, polls find Williams argues much of the current pessimism is shaped by frustration with Donald Trump. “To me, when you hear people say that they are not proud of America at this moment, I think a lot of that comes from people who just think the Democratic Party has been ineffective in dealing with Trump,” Williams said. “He is running the place like he’s the man of the hour, and I think most Democrats are disillusioned with the Democratic Party for becoming sort of bystanders while Trump has become the central character of our politics. I don’t think they’re soured on all of America.” “Trump has made this celebration of July 4th into a Trump rally, and I don’t think there’s any way to get away from it,” he said. “I’m not going to a Trump rally. Does that mean that I’m not loving my country? No.” *** 30:17 – Rise of the Socialists The group discusses the growing influence of democratic socialists inside the Democratic Party and whether the center can hold as the left taps into the power of populism. “If you look at the rising tide in the Democratic Party, you’d have to say that it’s the son of Bernie,” Williams said. “I don’t believe that they’re truly socialist, in large part. Maybe a few are. But for the most part, it’s just that they don’t want to be called Democrats, so they’re democratic socialists.” *** 39:09 – Great American Stories The episode ends with some personal and historical reflections on American history. Carl discusses the Declaration of Independence as an expression of the American mind, drawing on John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Pauline Maier, while Tom reflects on Gettysburg, his Civil War studies at Princeton, and Nassau Hall’s Revolutionary history.

Listen to RealClearPolitics weekdays at 11 a.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111, or on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or other platforms. Subscribe for more RealClearPolitics analysis, interviews, and political commentary.
RealClearPolitics Videos