Is the US still a role model after 250 years?
The US celebrated the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence from Britain on the 4th of July. "We will always be the best", said President Donald Trump on Saturday in his address in Washington. Commentators voice criticism, but also admiration.
Trump celebrates himself
Novinky.cz puts in:
“Many level-headed observers of international relations agree that, as it marks its 250th anniversary, the US is not exactly in best health. The government and Congress have been taken over by a group of careerists that resembles a personality cult more than a political party. The White House is led by a president who lies so brazenly multiple times a day that everyone has simply grown used to it. ... What's more, Trump has paralysed Nato and weakened the United States' role in the world. His authoritarian style of governance is meeting with increasing resistance in the judiciary, even from conservative judges. And typically, Trump's pompous celebrations of the Declaration of Independence were more about him and his megalomania than about the superpower he leads.”
America is more than its president
Expressen is optimistic:
“The US is more than just Donald Trump and his shrinking fanbase on social media. Protectionism and a reluctance to 'interfere in Europe's internal affairs' have always come in waves in the US. It is right for Europe to become more independent, both economically and militarily. But European politicians should maintain existing ties, not least with like-minded counterparts on the other side of the Atlantic. Founded on a combination of liberal ideals of freedom and Protestant individualism and work ethic, the US continues to be admired. There will be a post-Trump era.”
Still an inspiration
For The Sunday Times, the US remains a role model, particularly when it comes to innovation:
“The country that transformed representative government has also transformed technology, finance, medicine and today's digital economy. The US has always embraced financial innovation and risk, from its car industry to Silicon Valley. ... The age of Trump will pass. The checks and balances of the US constitution remain largely intact. The United States and Britain remain bound together by a shared inheritance that will outlast individual leaders. America's birthday is living proof that a blend of liberty, enterprise and democracy remains one of the world's most potent political creeds. Britain can still learn from it.”
Happy birthday – despite everything
Der Standard still holds out hope:
“Throughout its history, the US has demonstrated its capacity for self-correction. Without a revolution or war, capitalism was reined in and rescued by the New Deal in the 1930s. The anti-communist witch-hunts of the McCarthy era came to an end in the 1950s. In the 1960s, the system of apartheid in the southern states was abolished, and in the 1970s an authoritarian president was forced to resign in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal. ... Many of the football fans who have visited the US in recent weeks have also seen the impressive and endearing sides of this country, and sensed that there is an America beyond Trump and Maga. One that deserves a loud 'happy birthday'.”
The harder they fall
The US's long heyday is over, Mladina posits:
“In 2026, the American constitutional republic is looking more and more like a system in which the president wields almost monarchical power while the state is dominated by an alliance of political and business elites. Its political order is becoming ever more akin to the state-controlled capitalism of Russia and China. The US is the undisputed political and economic winner of the 'long 20th century'. Yet the economic costs of this global supremacy are becoming increasingly unsustainable. The United States' waning political legitimacy is seen as an almost inevitable harbinger of the decline of the Pax Americana.”
Post-war model on its last legs
The Insider sees the world heading towards global chaos:
“Even if someone 'more reasonable' from the perspective of traditional diplomacy were to hold the US presidency, a return to the model of the past 80 years would be impossible. The world is careening towards a state that feels like global chaos, and the current US administration is only accelerating this process. ... Until recently, we assumed that if a country abided by the rules, it would enjoy a more or less predictable future. If it broke them, a predictable backlash would follow. ... But now the very 'architects' of the rules are beginning to resort to direct violence.”
Stop copying trash culture
Sweden should look for new role models, recommends the Göteborg-Posten:
“Over the past few decades, Sweden has adopted virtually every American cultural trend, be it populism, activism or popular culture. Perhaps we should draw a little more inspiration from our European neighbours: from German high culture, Dutch consumer culture or French conversational culture, for instance. All phenomena which, in the world's oldest democracy on the other side of the Atlantic, have now been replaced by trade tariffs, polarisation and an increasingly vulgar public discourse.”
History offers consolation
The Economist recommends focusing on America's founding ideals:
“The country's great liberal experiment is under strain. Politicians show little regard for many of the Enlightenment ideals the founders held dear. Americans themselves are bitterly divided, rarely agreeing on what ails the country, let alone the cures. History offers some consolation. The American experiment has faltered before - and recovered. Its story has been one of setbacks as well as renewal. From the moment the framers set out, in the constitution's opening sentence, 'to form a more perfect Union', the country has wrestled with its imperfections.”