Trump Forces Fans to Wait 4 Hours in Storm for His Ego Trip

Summary

Bulwark Takes Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Trump Forces Fans to Wait 4 Hours in Storm for His Ego Trip
Date: July 5, 2026
Host: Sam Stein (with Bill Kristol as guest)
Main Theme:
A critical, behind-the-scenes look at the 250th anniversary July 4th celebration in Washington, D.C., dominated by Donald Trump’s ego-centric event, the far-right’s visible presence, and the logistical chaos that ensued.

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Episode Overview

This episode dissects the chaos, ironies, and symbolism wrapped up in Washington, D.C.’s July 4th, 250th anniversary extravaganza. The conversation spans white nationalist group Patriot Front’s brazen appearance, the failure and farce of the Trump-led celebration, the logistical and environmental fallout, and what these moments reveal about contemporary American politics and civic life.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Patriot Front Marches in D.C. (01:49 - 06:18)

• White Nationalism on Display: Early July 4th morning, the Patriot Front (a white nationalist group) marched through Union Station, witnessed by stunned onlookers and captured in widely-shared photos.
  • Sam Stein: “Those dumb, stupid khakis and little face masks because they're too scared to show their stupid faces... How freaking patriotic, Bill. I was repulsed by it...” (02:15)
• Personal Resonance: Bill Kristol reflects on the significance of Union Station to his family, making the sight even more “depressing” (03:20).
• Right-wing Deflection & Denial: Notable right-wing figures (e.g., Daily Wire CEO, Laura Ingraham, Mike Lee) suggest the marchers are either federal agents, leftists, or ANTIFA, pushing conspiracy theories rather than condemning the extremists.
  • Bill Kristol: “The courageous thing, the right thing to do is to denounce people who were, you know, sort of on your side... The second best thing to do would at least be to keep a dignified silence about them. But Mike Lee and some of these other people... wanted to... blame the left with, I mean, to say no evidence is like, already an overstatement almost.” (05:22)

2. Republican Reluctance to Condemn White Nationalists (06:13 - 08:58)

• Doug Burgum’s CNN Appearance: The Interior Secretary hedges when pressed to denounce the Patriot Front, offering vague free speech platitudes and whataboutisms instead of a firm condemnation.
  • Sam Stein: “It gave me, like, quasi-Charlottesville vibes... the whataboutism is very apparent in his answer.” (06:44)
  • Bill Kristol: “He wouldn't denounce it... It's really pathetic. Burgum was uncomfortable. I mean, he was once a normie Republican. Who wouldn't have thought twice before denouncing this...” (07:47)
• Both Sam and Bill wonder about the motivations for such timidity—fear of Trump's reaction, internalized alignment, or political calculation.
  • Sam Stein: “What are the mental gymnastics he's going through during that interview?” (08:16)

3. Personal & Local Reflections on July 4th (09:50 - 10:50)

• A Parallel Reality: Bill Kristol describes his experience at a local Northern Virginia neighborhood parade, contrasting a wholesome, communal July 4th with the chaos downtown.
  • Bill Kristol: “It was charming... And I don't think anyone mentioned the words Donald Trump.” (10:47)

4. D.C. Event Descends into Chaos (12:04 - 15:32)

• Thunderstorm & Forced Evacuation: Afternoon storms force attendees (estimated at 150,000) to vacate the secured National Mall area, seeking shelter in federal buildings—including the African American History Museum.
  • Sam Stein (joking): “Do you think, Bill, that it counts as DEI for the museum to let all these Trumpers in for shelter?” (13:17)
• Massive Security Failures: Upon return, guests have to re-enter through security, creating hours-long bottlenecks and confusion.
• Blame Placed on Trump’s Narcissism: The disruption and excessive security are attributed directly to Trump’s insistence on appearing in person.
  • Bill Kristol: “That was because of Trump's vanity. There's a reason other presidents have not done this.” (14:39)

5. Trump's Late, Self-Obsessed Appearance (15:32 - 17:40)

• Speech Delayed Until Late Night: Trump’s address doesn’t start till 11:00-11:15pm, forcing people (including families and children) to wait for hours.
  • Sam Stein: “He told everyone to stay, he was going to make a big show of it. He said didn't matter if it was 2am... people are like in 100 degree heat, ...it feels like children of men or something like that.” (15:46)
• Classic Trump Spectacle: Trump watches television coverage of himself from his air-conditioned suite, apparently more engrossed in media optics than connecting with the soaking, suffering crowd.
  • Sam Stein: “He like really is interested in the very specifics of the TV coverage of himself and how things are looking on TV...he was like very intensely looking at that television.” (16:44)
  • Bill Kristol: “He said he's very candid about some of those things.” (17:37)

6. Fireworks: The Only Bright Spot (17:40 - 19:25)

• The fireworks, touted as breaking records, are unanimously agreed to be spectacular—and the only well-executed aspect of the event.
  • Sam Stein: “Here's where I'm going to give him the 10% of kudos. Like the fireworks look great. Honestly. They lasted an insane amount of time. I think they set a Guinness world record...” (17:54)
• Downside: The sheer scale of the display leads to terrible air quality in D.C. the next morning, compounding discomfort and health risks for residents.
  • Sam Stein: “I've read a couple places that it's like, it's not going to like you shouldn't go outside. It's really bad. It's going to take a couple hours maybe to this afternoon for it to really clear...like today it is much worse.” (19:25)

7. Reflections on Political Symbolism & the National Stage (20:20 - 22:34)

• Trump’s D.C. Obsession: Conversation turns philosophical—why is Trump fixated on Washington ceremonies even as he campaigns on anti-establishment rhetoric?
  • Bill Kristol: “Why is Trump's... gotten totally obsessed with DC... contrary to the message of his movement.” (20:51)
  • Sam Stein: “He clearly is preoccupied with himself...” (21:28)
• Contrast to Past Presidents: Gerald Ford’s bicentennial celebration is remembered for humility, bipartisanship, and reverence for democracy, highlighting the stark difference.
  • Bill Kristol: “Gerald Ford... didn't talk about himself at all, of course. In fact, went out of his way to be very sort of bipartisan and non political...” (22:14)

8. A Sad, Missed Opportunity (22:34 - 23:56)

• As the episode closes, Sam reflects on the sadness of the entire ordeal—a civic milestone marred by ego, mishaps, and mismanagement.
  • Sam Stein: “I'm sad. This whole thing was really sad, honestly... just poorly done... I'm sad because it could have been something genuinely heartfelt for the 250th and it turned out to be anything about that.” (22:34)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On GOP’s Denial:
  • “Why do you say they're not our people unless you sort of know that they are your people?”
    — Sam Stein (06:14)
• On Trump’s Vanity:
  • “There was a huge extra layer... because of Trump's vanity. There's a reason other presidents have not done this.”
    — Bill Kristol (14:39)
• On the Pyrotechnic Spectacle:
  • “They lasted an insane amount of time. I think they set a Guinness world record for fireworks. And it was really cool.”
    — Sam Stein (17:54)
• On Mismanagement:
  • “Everything on the Mall seemed cheap, honestly, except for the fireworks, which were not cheap, very expensive, but just poorly done, cheap, slapped together...”
    — Sam Stein (22:34)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:49 — Introduction of Patriot Front’s march
• 03:20 — Emotional resonance around Union Station
• 05:22 — Bill Kristol on right-wing deflection and lack of condemnation
• 06:44 — Doug Burgum’s weak CNN response
• 10:47 — Bill Kristol’s local neighborhood July 4th
• 12:04 — Chaos as storm evacuates the Mall
• 14:39 — Security & event failures blamed on Trump
• 15:46 — Trump-induced crowd suffering and his late speech
• 16:44 — Trump obsessively watching TV coverage of himself
• 17:54 — Fireworks spectacle commentary
• 19:25 — Post-fireworks air quality disaster
• 20:51 — Why is Trump obsessed with D.C.?
• 22:14 — Contrast with Ford’s bicentennial humility
• 22:34 — Sadness over missed opportunities

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Tone & Style

• Candid, slightly irreverent, and deeply critical of Trump and contemporary right-wing politics.
• Personal anecdotes balance broader political takeaways.
• Sarcasm and gallows humor used to underscore the surreal nature of the event and political climate.

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For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode pulls no punches in exposing the July 4th, 2026, event as a manifestation of Trump’s ego—disruptive, mismanaged, symbolically off-base, and in stark contrast to the unifying, communal celebrations it might have been. The only true success: the fireworks, noted as much for their spectacle as for the environmental fallout. Both hosts call out a Republican establishment unwilling to address its extremist fringes, and ultimately mourn a civic milestone overshadowed by spectacle and self-interest.

Transcript

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[Sam Stein]

Hey everyone, it's me, Sam Stein, managing editor at the Bulk. I'm joined by Bill Kristol, author of Morning Shots, who is pulling a double shift here on Sunday morning. We're recording this prior to him going live later in the day. Who is your guest, Bill?

[Bill Kristol]

Jay Nordlinger, who's been traveling in Italy. He's going to talk about what it looks like from what the US at 250 looks like from Europe.

[Sam Stein]

I'm going to compare my numbers to Jay's and it's going to be a real sort of. I'm going to derive my own sense of worth because based off those numbers. So folks, hit the like it's a little Trump.

[Bill Kristol]

Like I'm gonna just say, I mean that's kind of, you know, you're gonna watch it two, you're gonna watch yourself two or three times. Probably cut me out of it. Just watch you talking to the camera and analyzing and then enjoy your big numbers. That's fine. That's fine. Did you. But you're gonna have to carry this one, Sam, because I was ignoring it all last night. But you were paying attention.

[Sam Stein]

Oh, too bad.

[Doug Burgum]

Okay.

[Sam Stein]

Yeah, we're gonna go through the day yesterday. So July 4th, obviously. Great American State fair fireworks extravaganza. It's gonna be the of our country's birth. 250 and things did not go to plan. Now I'm not going to be one of those people who's like, oh, it was a complete and utter disaster. It was like a 85 to 90% disaster. There was like 10% good parts to it. And I'm going to credit the fireworks at certain vantage points look pretty awesome, but there was a lot of them and the air quality in D.C. is absolutely abysmal this morning because of it. We'll get into that later. But it started off on a really bad note. Everyone's coming into the mall, Bill. Lots of people. The people did show up. I'm going to give them credit for that. People did show up this time, but so did the Patriot Front, which is a white nationalist group. And they came marching right through Union Station early in the morning with their stupid little khakis. Those dumb, stupid khakis and little face masks because they're too scared to show their stupid faces. And they're sweating. You can see the sweat stains through their khakis. How freaking patriotic, Bill. I was repulsed by it when I saw it. I think a lot of people were repulsed by it when they saw it. There's some iconic photos going around. We can't show the Reuters one, unfortunately, because we don't have a license. But we're going to show a few others of them riding the metro through D.C. with onlookers just being like, what the hell is going on here? I was repulsed. I thought it was about as grotesque as you can get. And I'm assuming you felt the same way.

[Bill Kristol]

I did. I did. And you know Union Station. God knows how many times you and I have been there to catch the train to New York or to Boston or the Metro. Actually it's also a Metro stop. Our son and daughter in law were married there 12 years ago or something. Very lovely. So for us it has a little bit of special significance. A wonderful station, a wonderful gem of Washington architecture. And seeing these neo Nazis. Yeah. Parading through it. And I mean they, I guess the you can't stop them, but everyone else has to suffer watching them. It's a depressing getting it to July 4th. Sure.

[Sam Stein]

Well, you can't stop them. They have the right and that is our country. But you can condemn them and you can be honest about them. And yet there were multiple times when I was just kind of going online through the course of the afternoon after this happened, where people were just kind of like making excuses for it. So here's the Daily Wire CEO. He says ignore these losers. It's probably 75% SPLC employees at Southern Poverty Law center employees and 25% feds. Well, Dum Dum, if it's 25% feds, those are Donald Trump's Feds. Okay, like who? Who do you think controls the government at this point? Eric Erickson wonders a lot. If they're just Hill staffers. Hill staffers. Why would Hill staffers do okay. Laura Ingram, I call fake looks more like antifa in costume. No one should be allowed to cover their faces. The logic does not extend to ice. Apparently. Laura Lovin thinks it's SPLC as well. Mike Lee, Unbelievable stuff here. So Mike Lee a year ago predicted that the Patriot Front would disappear, as he said, immediately after we confirmed Cash Patel. The assumption was that these were all feds and that Cash Patel will crack down on it. Mike Lee, yesterday, as the Patriot Fund's marching through Union Station in the plaza right outside of it, Patriot Front brought to you by leftists who don't know that patriots don't wear masks. I can't. I can't take this. I can't take this.

[Bill Kristol]

You know, it's striking. Mike Lee didn't have to say anything. I mean, the courageous thing, the right thing to do is to denounce people who were, you know, sort of on your side. I mean, I don't want to overstate it, but they are really, in some sense, and certainly others at other times in the conservative movement have denounced the extremists and tried to say, that's not us. And decent people on the left have to obviously denounce communists and people who claim that they were also allies of them. So the right thing to do would be to denounce them. The second best thing to do would at least be to keep a dignified silence about them. But Mike Lee and some of these other people, some people were asked about it, I suppose, but most of the people you've quoted were volunteering this, right? I mean, they were sort of. They, they wanted to get out ahead, so to speak, and blame the left with, I mean, to say no evidence is like, already an overstatement almost.

[Doug Burgum]

Right?

[Bill Kristol]

So that, that's very telling, isn't it? They, they steep down. They kind of know these are their people, and they need to deflect and say, oh, no, they're not our people.

[Sam Stein]

Right.

[Bill Kristol]

Why do you, why do you say they're not our people unless you sort of know that they are your people?

[Sam Stein]

Exactly. Well, and the head of the group was there unmasked and did do interviews. So it clearly was Patriot Front. But this extended to this morning where Doug Burgum, the Interior Secretary, was asked about this on cnn. And it kind of gave me, like, quasi Charlottesville vibes. Not quite as bad because it's not the president, and he's not calling them good people. But the whataboutism is very apparent in his answer. Let's play it.

[Commercial Announcer]

Do you, as Interior Secretary, will you

[Sam Stein]

recommend to the president that he condemn the. This group and what they were trying to message, what they did try to message here in Washington?

[Doug Burgum]

Well, there have been. Dan, a part of my response to that is that there are protests on the mall, that people say things that I think are irrepressible about President Trump, and yet they're allowed to go on because of free speech in our country. And so this is a something. But you've seen President Trump. I was with him in North Dakota. I was with him in Mount Rushmore. I was with him.

[Sam Stein]

It's white nationalism. It's, as you said, a part of America's history that still has pockets. But the fact that they were here in Washington on such an important day, I do want to move on.

[Doug Burgum]

But I do think again. I mean, there are people that are saying, death to Israel and death to America. I mean, this is part of free speech in America. They can say it, we can object to it, but it is something that comes with free speech in America.

[Bill Kristol]

I mean, it's really pathetic. Burgum was uncomfortable. I mean, he was once a normie Republican. Who wouldn't have thought twice before denouncing this? And certainly. But he wouldn't denounce it, and he wouldn't just say himself. Right. Well, it's unfortunate he wouldn't just say, this is terrible, and these are terrible people, and this is not what America is about. We have free speech, and there are people saying bad things about Trump also. So I guess we can't really pass judgment on all these things, you know. What did you think?

[Sam Stein]

Well, I just, I'm like, you, you know, I, I, I keep, I was waiting for something far harsher from Doug Burgum. It doesn't take much to just be like, these people are dopes, and I condemn everything they say. And, and they shouldn't have showed up. And it's gross that they did. I mean, it doesn't take much. I, you know, the sort of Occam's Razor here is that. Actually, I'm not really sure what the Occam's Razor is here. Like, Trump obviously thinks that this is his people and he doesn't want to offend them. But, like, Doug Burgum, is he, like, worried that Trump's gonna get mad at him from condemning the Patriot Fund? What are the mental gymnastics he's going through during that interview?

[Bill Kristol]

I don't know. Steve Miller on line one yelling at him, if not Trump himself. It's a good question.

[Sam Stein]

Yeah. Is that, it's like, how could you do that? These are our people. I don't really get it. I guess you have to perpetuate the idea that these aren't actually real neo Nazis, that it's all a leftist front. Is that really it? So I don't know. I had to have a very unfortunate and uncomfortable conversation with my son, who's 9, about why they're people with confusion Confederate flag showing up on Union in Union Station, which he goes through every now and then. And you know, just sort of talking about like, well, you know, they have the right to, you know, wave the flag, as gross as it is. But it was, you know, it's uncomfortable. And I wish that people in our highest office would just be more comfortable not, not absolving them or trying to make excuses for them or making up myths that this is some sort of leftist front group. We have a lot to get to though, unfortunately, because that was just the start of the afternoon. Where were you yesterday? You didn't watch any of this? You didn't follow this online?

[Bill Kristol]

I occasionally dipped into online just to say I couldn't resist. But I tried not to let July 4th be defined by either the national front, obviously, or honestly Donald Trump. So I watched some World cup games and Susan and I watched a movie last night and in our air conditioned house it was kind of hot here in Washington. We did one other thing, I will say we went to our little neighborhood, they have a little parade through the neighborhood we live in in Northern Virginia every July 4th. It was actually abbreviated this year for sensible reasons because they didn't want people to suffer from heat stroke. But there was, it was still a kind of more like a gathering in a shady little bit of a shady part of the, of the neighborhood. And they had, you know, red, white and blue popsicles and little kids still riding their tricycles and it was charming. And actually we talked about various neighborhood various things. Just, you know, got to meet some new neighbors and be connected with some old ones and you know, people from a few blocks away we don't see that often. And it was charming. And I don't think anyone mentioned the words Donald Trump.

[Sam Stein]

That's really nice. That feels lovely.

[Bill Kristol]

A couple of people said they like the bull work. The closest they came, you'd be glad to know, is there several people were sort of, oh, I admire what you guys are doing at the Bulwark. Say hello to all your colleagues. So I'm saying hello to you for them and so forth. But we avoided Donald J. Trump Moto Casino America's Social Casino welcome to Moto Casino where the excitement never ends. With thousands of the hottest free to play social casino games. Fastest payouts and the best promotions in the industry. No tricks or or gimmicks. Owned and operated in the usa, Moto Casino is a free to play social casino. No purchase necessary. 21 plus to play void we're prohibited. Sign up today for a generous welcome bonus Moto Casino America Social Casino. Download the Moto Casino app today.

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[Sam Stein]

All right, well that you there. That lived experience was not shared by hundreds of thousands of people who apparently descended on the mall. I don't really know what the actual number was. I saw 150,000. So let's go with that. They got there, they were hanging out. There's a lot going on down there. Credit to them for showing up after days of just absolutely vacant plots of land. Down in the mall. People did show up. But like lo and behold, Washington D.C. in the summer, in the afternoon, lots of thunderstorms rolling and out and one rolled in like around 6pm or so roughly, give or take maybe 6:30. And everyone had to vacate because there was concerns about lightning and thunder and the safety of the people on the mall. So imagine chaos that ensued with people literally having to get out of the secured perimeter to vacate. They went to all these different locations. The IRS building housed a couple of the agriculture Department of Agriculture housed a bunch of people. And then in the irony of all ironies, the African American History Museum ends up housing a ton of people. Like a bunch of Trump people coming in and then having to take shelter among the African American History Museum. Let's put the video up. Do you think, Bill, that it counts as DEI for the museum to let all these Trumpers in for shelter? Is that a DEI policy?

[Bill Kristol]

Well, these white people in. I thought you were going to say the crowd. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[Doug Burgum]

People.

[Bill Kristol]

People can be nothing wrong with it,

[Sam Stein]

but it does strike me as diversity, equity, inclusion right there.

[Bill Kristol]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's sort of. I mean, right. I mean, it's nice that they threw the museums open and the staff were, I guess they are working, you know, extra overtime on July 4th, and maybe they could be a little less contemptuous of federal employees when they've all taken advantage of their, you know, presumably being called in. I don't know that were they planning to be there. Maybe there was, you know, or being anyway asked work on July 4, not be with their families and keep. And then keep these, you know, keep the museums open and provide water and so forth.

[Sam Stein]

So they went in there, they spent about, like, I don't know, close to an hour outside the secure perimeter. Here's what happens when they call people back in to watch the. To bring the show back on and start again around 9 o'. Clock. You have to recheck everyone. If you're the Secret Service, you can't just, like, let everyone back in, you know, like stamp or anything like that. And even if you could, you would still have to check them again. So then everyone has to go back in through security and it's utter chaos. And this video comes via Von Hilliard showing just how insane things got. That looks horrible.

[Bill Kristol]

And why were the Secret Service there? They were there because Trump was coming. I mean, I've been on you and I have been on them all different July Fourths. I don't go that often, but I've been a couple times. There's obviously the park police. A lot of people are working overtime and credit to them for helping people enjoy the fireworks and so forth. But there was a huge extra layer, not just to Secret service, but everyone, D.C. cops and everyone else who has to help out. And that was because of Trump's vanity. There's a reason other presidents have not done this. Incidentally, I was in the White House. I remember a little discussion once. I can't remember what the maybe should we do, maybe do something bigger. And I think it was President Bush himself, George H.W. bush, who said, well, no, we can't put it and make everyone miss more people than necessary, Ms. July 4th to their families and stuff. So I can walk in, go out there and, you know, be on the mall. I can watch the fireworks from the White House and so forth. You know what I mean? It was very Trump like to inconvenience everyone. And I don't even know, did he thank them at the beginning of his speech? I didn't see his speech, but I doubt if I mean again, normal president, vice president would have thanked all the people who went to extra effort to make this possible.

[Sam Stein]

I don't know if he thanked him. I did not watch the speech because he, he went on and started speaking. Well, what time was it when he started speaking? Like 11, 11:15.

[Bill Kristol]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sam Stein]

I mean it was just unbelievably late. And to your point, like most presidents will watch the fireworks from the Truman Balcony, that's what they'll do. They'll have an affair at the White House, they'll washroom the Truman Balcony, but they don't, they don't subject everyone to the security clearance process that you have to do. And then. Yeah, I mean this was obviously Trump made this all about him down to the fact that he timed the first part of it to his own birthday. So that is true. He did show up eventually. He told everyone to stay, he was going to make a big show of it. He said didn't matter if it was 2am when he, when the fireworks came on, you stay. Meanwhile people are like in 100 degree heat, it's just thunderstorm. There's kids on parents shoulders. There's like fencing between folks. It feels like children of men or something like that. But people stayed because they want to get a good firework show and they want to hear their dear president speak. He, he didn't have to endure any of that obviously, nor should he because he's the president. He gets security clearance and he gets security. He went into an air conditioned booth and he was spotted watching TV coverage of him watching tv. It was very multidimensional inception stuff here. I thought this was the most interesting part of the whole night. He is. Cause it does really show you. He like really is interested in the very specifics of the TV coverage of himself and how things are looking on tv. We knew this, we know that he cares about this stuff. But he was like very intensely looking at that television.

[Bill Kristol]

Yeah. Didn't he tell Mrs. Vance? They had some ridiculous interview with Mrs. Vance interviewing Trump on her podcast and she asked him, do you still have a chance to read books these days? You're so busy as president. I don't know that I believe he's famously has never read a single book and. No, I just read some newspapers. I really, really most, I mostly read the articles about myself. Didn't he say. He said something like that, right?

[Sam Stein]

Yes, almost verbatim.

[Bill Kristol]

But he said he's very candid about some of those things.

[Sam Stein]

Yeah, yeah, but he's very, I mean he loves, he I mean he, he clearly is very invested in TV coverage of himself and he was not even talking. It's like everyone else is conversing in that air conditioned lounge that they're in. Like people are talking to each other, looking out, looking at the crowd and he's just, he cannot be bothered. He wants to see how Fox is covering this thing when for his next bleep. Okay, so like look, they did the, they did the fireworks after his speech. We're not even going to cover the speech because it was, I, it was so forgettable. I didn't think I saw a single clip of it. The fireworks. Here's where I'm going to give him the 10% of kudos. Like the fireworks look great. Honestly. They lasted an insane amount of time. I think they set a Guinness world record for fireworks. And it was really cool. Honestly it was cool. It did sort of depend so on where you were because some people got a really great vantage point. Let's put up the great vantage point. I mean, look at that. Bill. You have to admit that looks pretty cool.

[Bill Kristol]

I guess I got to admit. No, they were good. We're good at fire.

[Sam Stein]

It is pretty rocks.

[Bill Kristol]

They're always good. They're always good on the wall. But obviously they were much bigger this time, you know.

[Sam Stein]

Oh, massive. Now wasn't the, wasn't always the case if you were in Arlington, apparently this was your view. That's bleak. I don't know. Looks like the Capitol's being bombarded.

[Bill Kristol]

Yeah, I know. Well, in a way that's, that's also a good metaphor. You know. What's the truth about the air quality? Some fairly serious people were saying it's going to be, it was going to be bad this morning because of all they, it's like 10 times, times more fireworks or something than usual or pollution.

[Sam Stein]

This morning is in D.C. after massive fireworks show last night. Washington Post reported National Park Service prepared internal documents. Oh, this is prior to then. Okay. So they knew that the air quality was going to be bad. It was and is horrible. I've read a couple places that it's like, it's not going to like you shouldn't go outside. It's really bad. It's going to take a couple hours maybe to this afternoon for it to really clear. Now it's always bad in DC after the 4th but like today it is much worse. I went outside today, this morning with my kid because we're teaching him the youngest, we're teaching him how to bike and so I'm running around and he's biking. I could feel it, like, it felt a little harsh in my. Yeah, in my chest. It felt a little harsh, a little hazy out there. And the heat's back, so not ideal. Well, any, Any last thoughts on our great American experiment in our 250th anniversary day?

[Bill Kristol]

I mean, even if there were 150,000 people on the Mall, I take heart in the fact that millions, tens of millions, I don't know, hundreds of millions of Americans, I suppose, enjoyed July 4th in their communities, at home, in their backyards, at their local swimming pools, at the football fields where they had local fireworks and kind of ignored dc. It's interesting. Why is Trump's. This is an interesting. I've read a couple things about this. Why is Trump's gotten totally obsessed with dc, which is sort of, in a way contrary to the message of his, of his movement. Right. Which is anti DCs, nominally, sort of,

[Sam Stein]

I mean, in a way, completely contrary.

[Bill Kristol]

Yeah, but he's, but he's obsessed with it. And luckily most Americans aren't.

[Sam Stein]

Well, I mean, look at it. The ballroom, the reflecting pool, the golf course, all the fountains around town, every other fixture at the White House, the flagpoles, he's putting up the arch. I mean, this whole 250th celebration. I mean, Union Station, he wants to redo Dulles. He wants to redo. It is wild. I mean, the cynic would say it's because he doesn't want to leave. I don't know. He clearly has preoccupied with himself in

[Bill Kristol]

D.C. and he went to, I guess he went to Mount Rushmore and some places where he could sort of hint that he would love to be up there with those other presidents. Gerald. I was just looking for a second. Gerald. 50 years ago and the 200th and the bicentennial, Gerald Ford went to Philadelphia, gave a modest speech and interviewed Independence Hall. Didn't talk about himself at all, of course. In fact, went out of his way to be very sort of bipartisan and non political. It was a campaign year. He was running against Reagan, he was going to run against Carter. Didn't talk about that at all. The only thing he said about the election was everyone should vote in November because that was a right that our founding fathers, the signers of the Declaration, had fought for and sacrificed for. And then he went to New York, if I'm not mistaken, for the big ships, maybe watch the fireworks from the Lincoln Balcony, as you say, Truman Balcony, I'm sorry, at the White House. And then the next day on July 5th, went to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's house for a naturalization ceremony where he gave quite moving remarks about how important central immigration had been to the immigrants, had been to the story of America. So kind of a contrast.

[Sam Stein]

I'm sad. I am sad. This whole thing was really sad, honestly. And that's not an original thought, but we've just had about 10 straight days of this stuff. And it's. There's not a moment that didn't seem either overly politicized by Trump or I guess his critics, but really by Trump or just poorly done. Like, everything on the mall seemed cheap, honestly, except for the fireworks, which were not cheap, very expensive, but just poorly done, cheap slapped together, like in some cases literally falling apart. There was this kind of like quasi horrifying video of these performers practicing prior to going on stage. And like a piece of the stage falls down and then not preparing for the likelihood of rain. Like, come on, it's D.C. in the summer. Of course you have to prepare for rain. You know, the vanity of having to speak and then put all your supporters through like what appeared to be a really sort of grueling experience standing in that heat, then having to endure thunderstorm, having to go back through security checks, waiting up until 11 just to hear you speak. And then, and then we're not even playing it. But the rides getting home were bonkers. Like, just poorly planned out, really poorly done. And I'm sad because it could have been something genuinely heartfelt for the 250th and it turned out to be anything about that. So that's my closing thought. All right, Bill, I'm gonna let you go because you got to prep for Jay. Hopefully I do better numbers than he does. For everyone who watched, thank you for watching. Subscribe to the book where you get great stuff like this. Talk to you later.

[Bill Kristol]

Bill let's see his hand.

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