Democratic lawmakers said they believed the U.S. is still an extraordinary country despite expressing disagreements with President Donald Trump when asked by Fox News Digital if they were proud to be American citizens.

«The freedoms that we have and the fact that anyone should be able to get ahead for them and their family based on the laws we have every now and then — in general, it’s sound,» Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc., said.

The answers, which came ahead of the country’s 250th Independence Day celebration, highlight the deep distrust Democrats have of the administration’s leadership even as they expressed confidence in principles that have made U.S. prosperity possible.

Just one, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, declined to expand on why he was proud to be an American.

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«I am very proud to tell you that impeachment is an option to remove a reckless, ruthless, lawless president,» Green answered when asked if he was proud to be an American.

«I’m proud that it exists,» Green added.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, echoed his thinking.

«I believe Americans are ready to defend our democracy and oppose authoritarianism so that we can celebrate our 251st birthday in this country instead of turning all power over to a would-be king,» Doggett said.

Despite his disagreements with the Trump administration, Doggett clarified that his views were distinct from his feelings about the nation itself.

«We’re the greatest country on earth. We’re innovative, we’re smart, we make sure that we promote our values, our liberties and justice and freedom. We’re always trying to perfect our union, but at the same time, we were the great experiment of democracy and it’s been a rousing success,» Doggett said.

Other Democrats, like Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., agreed with U.S. exceptionalism.

«This is a great country. You know, we are a country of immigrants. Immigrants have contributed so much to our country, and you know this is the greatest country on earth. I am so proud to call myself an American citizen, although there are some concerns with the new administration,» Thanedar said.

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Rep. Shri Thanedar arrives for the vote on the budget resolution at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Thanedar, who was born in India, immigrated to the United States in 1979.

For their own part, Republicans, who readily affirmed their pride in the country, articulated that they believed the founding ideas were the reason for the country’s success.

Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wisc., said he believed the Constitution had given citizens the latitude to thrive.

«I guess our Constitution and all the freedoms we have that other countries don’t have, which results in us being so much wealthier than other countries — not that that’s the main thing. But you look at your average American with a front yard and backyard, they don’t even have that in Western Europe, they don’t have that in Israel, they have it in other top countries. We’ve got it here in the United States,» Grothman said.

«So, I think the combination between the material wealth which impresses you and a Christian nation which is also so tremendous.»

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Glenn Grothman, R-Wisc., arrives to a Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on September 13, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., said he believes it’s that success that has made Americans proud and zealous for protecting its interests.

«We’re a nation who’s willing to understand peace through strength. And we’re a nation that has been willing to go ahead and pledge our lives to keep the freedoms that we have here that no other nation like ours has seen,» Mills said.

President Donald Trump marked the eve of America’s 250th anniversary with a sweeping patriotic address at Mount Rushmore on Friday, declaring the United States the «most exceptional nation ever to exist» and vowing that it would «never be a Communist country.»

Speaking beneath the granite likenesses of four of his predecessors — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt — Trump touted American exceptionalism as festivities marking the nation’s 250th anniversary ramped up across the country.

«In all the chronicles of the ages, never before has any nation celebrated so magnificent a triumph as this one,» Trump told the crowd.

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«At 250 years, America is the oldest republic on earth,» he continued. «We are the freest people on earth. We have the most righteous and enduring Constitution on earth. We are the strongest and most powerful country on earth. And by the grace of God, the United States of America is the most successful, most accomplished, most exceptional nation ever to exist in human history.»

Trump praised the nation’s history and argued that no other country had achieved as much as the United States.

«The birth and survival of the American nation under God is, quite simply, the best and most incredible thing ever to happen on this planet by human hands, ever,» he said. «No other country has done more good for this world than the United States of America.»

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Fireworks explode after President Donald Trump spoke at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Friday, July 3, 2026, near Keystone, South Dakota. (AP Photo/Matt Gade)

Before Trump took the stage, the new Air Force One flew over Mount Rushmore as spectators cheered. After his remarks, the president stayed to watch a fireworks display over the Black Hills.

Trump argued the country was facing what he described as a growing communist movement that sought to undermine America’s «exceptional character» and «alienate us from our history.»

The president said the movement had raised the question, «What does it mean to be an American?»

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President Donald Trump speaks at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Friday, July 3, 2026, near Keystone, South Dakota. (AP Photo/Matt Gade)

Trump described communism as «the greatest threat» facing the United States.

«It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, or even 9/11,» Trump said. «We’re not going to let this happen to us. Believe me, we’re not letting it happen, because communism is the enemy of free people.»

«Communism is the exact opposite of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — it is death, tyranny and the pursuit of evil,» he continued.

«But we will not let them win,» he added. «They have no chance against us.»

Trump issued a clear directive: «You can be loyal to Karl Marx, or you can be loyal to America. You can be a communist, or you can be a patriot. You cannot be both.»

President Donald Trump speaks beneath Mount Rushmore during a celebration ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

As Americans face those choices, Trump pointed to the nation’s past sacrifices as a guide for its future.

«Our American ancestors did not shed their blood at Concord and Trenton, Gettysburg and Shiloh, Midway and Normandy, just so that a band of thieves, radicals and lunatics could come in and loot, pillage our nation,» he said.

Trump also highlighted the four presidents carved into the mountain behind him, saying they represented America’s founding ideals.

«They were men of action, men of ambition, men of daring, men of destiny, and men of truly great intelligence,» he said. «Above all, they were great men of history. Tonight, on the threshold of our 250th year, we stand beneath the monument of these heroes, a true group of unbelievable people. And we rededicate ourselves to being a nation as big, bold, noble, and as great as these American giants.»

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Trump is scheduled to deliver another speech Saturday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. before a fireworks display celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.

«We know that this is not an ending,» Trump said. «This is only the beginning of the golden age of America.»

El presidente de Francia, Emmanuel Macron, y el primer ministro de Reino Unido, Keir Starmer, confirmaron un acuerdo con Omán para garantizar la seguridad de la navegación en el estrecho de Ormuz, tras la reapertura del paso marítimo luego del alto el fuego acordado entre Estados Unidos e Irén. Según un comunicado conjunto, Mascate aceptó colaborar con ambos países europeos para asegurar la protección de sus aguas jurisdiccionales.

El anuncio marca un punto de inflexión tras el conflicto que mantuvo prácticamente cerrado el estrecho, considerado por las autoridades como “una arteria vital para la economía mundial”. De acuerdo con el pronunciamiento recogido en el documento oficial, “restablecer un tránsito seguro para los barcos de todas las naciones por el estrecho es un tema de preocupación mundial”.

Francia y Reino Unido expresaron su disposición a desplegar una misión militar multinacional diseñada para “apoyar la libertad de navegación en el estrecho de Ormuz”, iniciativa que llevan preparando desde hace semanas. La propuesta de la coalición, que contempla operaciones de desminado y garantías de seguridad para la libre circulación de embarcaciones, dependía del consentimiento de las partes involucradas.

Desde el alto el fuego alcanzado el 17 de junio, el tráfico marítimo comenzó a normalizarse, aunque persisten tensiones debido a la voluntad de Irán de mantener cierto nivel de control sobre el paso. En este contexto, se han reportado diferentes incidentes, lo que mantiene la atención internacional sobre la estabilidad de la región.

En el comunicado, Macron y Starmer reiteraron el compromiso de sus países de defender la estabilidad regional, la soberanía de los Estados y la cooperación con todos los socios para preservar la seguridad global, la libertad de navegación y el derecho internacional.

En paralelo, la empresa de seguimiento de buques Kpler reportó que el tráfico marítimo por Ormuz continúa su recuperación, aunque permanece en una situación frágil. Según los datos divulgados por la compañía, el 2 de julio se registraron 38 cruces a través de la vía, cifra que representa un 10% menos respecto al día anterior, aunque se mantiene “dentro del rango emergente de 30 a 60 cruces por día”.

De acuerdo con Kpler, la actividad de buques con bandera de Irán experimentó un aumento drástico en las últimas jornadas. Además, la firma advirtió que varios operadores navieros modificaron sus trayectorias habituales y se desplazaron hacia rutas consideradas “iraníes y oscuras o desconocidas” en el cruce del estrecho.

Un vocero de la empresa señaló: “El patrón sugiere que la confianza sigue siendo incompleta, y que la aprobación está cada vez más condicionada por la aceptación política, la exposición al riesgo de incumplimiento normativo y las negociaciones pendientes sobre las tasas y la gobernanza de la ruta”.

El régimen persa rechazó el lunes pasado la posibilidad de que Francia participe en las operaciones de desminado en Ormuz, luego del anuncio realizado por el presidente francés, Emmanuel Macron, sobre la intervención de su país en esas tareas.

El viceministro de Exteriores para Asuntos Jurídicos e Internacionales de Irán, Kazem Gharibabadi, afirmó en la red social X: “Macron ha afirmado que cooperará en la retirada de minas del estrecho de Ormuz en coordinación con sus socios. Según el memorando de entendimiento de Islamabad, la retirada de minas la lleva a cabo exclusivamente Irán y ningún otro país; en principio, no permitimos una operación de este tipo”.

El funcionario iraní advirtió sobre la complejidad actual en la región y transmitió una amenaza directa al gobierno francés. “La situación es delicada y compleja. Recomendamos encarecidamente a Francia que no la complique aún más con sus provocaciones”, sostuvo Gharibabadi.

El Ejército de Irán advirtió que los buques que no sigan las rutas establecidas por la República Islámica en el estrecho de Ormuz enfrentarán una respuesta inmediata y contundente. El Comando Unificado de Operaciones Khatam al-Anbiya de las Fuerzas Armadas iraníes indicó en un comunicado difundido por medios locales: “Todos los petroleros y buques comerciales están obligados a utilizar la ruta designada por Irán para cualquier tránsito seguro por el estrecho de Ormuz”.

La autoridad militar subrayó que cualquier “desviación de la ruta designada o incumplimiento de los protocolos de navegación de la República Islámica” será motivo de reacción militar. “Recibirá una respuesta inmediata y contundente por parte de las fuerzas armadas, lo que pondrá en peligro la seguridad de los buques infractores”, precisó el comunicado.

El mensaje incluyó una advertencia dirigida a Estados Unidos para evitar cualquier tipo de interferencia en este paso marítimo estratégico.

(Con información de EFE)