How Americans feel about their nation - 250 years after independence | BBC News — Transcript

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1. 0:00This weekend has seen millions of
2. 0:02Americans celebrate the 250th
3. 0:04anniversary of the founding of their
4. 0:06country. In Washington, there were
5. 0:08fireworks and a spectacular military
6. 0:10flyover. While in a speech on the
7. 0:13National Mall from Donald Trump, he said
8. 0:15the American dream is now back. As the
9. 0:19US reaches a momentous milestone, Sarah
10. 0:21Smith has been finding out how Americans
11. 0:23feel about their nation and their
12. 0:25president.
13. 0:27>> Happy 250 years. America.
14. 0:30>> Bombs bursting in the air are described
15. 0:32in the American national anthem. This
16. 0:34record-breaking firework display in
17. 0:36Washington was the largest ever. With
18. 0:39President Trump making sure he is center
19. 0:41stage
20. 0:42>> because America is a nation of winners.
21. 0:44And today our country is winning again.
22. 0:47And we're winning like never before.
23. 0:50>> And God bless the United States of
24. 0:52America. The night before, he'd held an
25. 0:54anniversary event directly overlooked by
26. 0:56the faces of four of America's greatest
27. 0:58presidents at Mount Rushmore. A not so
28. 1:01subtle hint from a man who has shared
29. 1:03images of his face carved into the
30. 1:04mountain, amusing his fans and leaving
31. 1:07others dismayed.
32. 1:08>> I think it's I think what what exists
33. 1:10today is appropriate.
34. 1:12>> Yeah. And I I don't feel like it should
35. 1:13be changed.
36. 1:14>> Let's see where we could put him. Where
37. 1:15do you think Where do you think to the
38. 1:17left or to the right?
39. 1:19Donald Trump's poll ratings hit an
40. 1:20all-time low thanks to the war in Iran
41. 1:22and the inflation it caused, but he
42. 1:24maintains some staunch support. So, do
43. 1:27you think Donald Trump's face should be
44. 1:29on Mount Rushbar?
45. 1:30>> It wouldn't hurt me one bit. I think he
46. 1:32deserves to be up there.
47. 1:34>> 20, 30 years from now, the I believe the
48. 1:36historians will will say that he's been
49. 1:39one of the greatest presidents in the
50. 1:40history of our nation.
51. 1:42>> The 4th of July, Independence Day, isn't
52. 1:44about any one particular politician.
53. 1:46It's about celebrating the founding
54. 1:48ideals of America and the men on the
55. 1:51mountain all played a significant part
56. 1:53in determining what the country became.
57. 1:56Donald Trump's undoubtedly reshaping the
58. 1:58nation today. But will his efforts have
59. 2:01a lasting impact? It remains to be seen
60. 2:03whether he will be regarded as a
61. 2:05transformative president or an
62. 2:07aberration. I mean there are plenty of
63. 2:09examples of a person just like him who
64. 2:12wants to come in and uh
65. 2:16have power in his hands having been
66. 2:19actually shunned from it for a while and
67. 2:21really wants it and tries to transform
68. 2:24it on a populist message and it did not
69. 2:26go very well.
70. 2:27>> Need a bounce back on THE HARBOR AND
71. 2:29MORGAN HORSE.
72. 2:32>> There we go. It is rodeo time in nearby
73. 2:35Balf Fush with bearback bronco riding,
74. 2:38mutton busting, and barrel racing. True
75. 2:41Americana at its best.
76. 2:43>> But polls suggest pride in America has
77. 2:45fallen to a 25-y year low, and people
78. 2:48are concerned about what those founding
79. 2:50fathers would make of America today.
80. 2:52>> Not good.
81. 2:53>> No,
82. 2:55we're far from the uh
83. 2:58the words written in the Declaration of
84. 3:00Independence. That's far from it. I
85. 3:02think that they would applaud that we're
86. 3:03trying to hold true to their vision.
87. 3:06>> Doesn't seem quite as spir as it used
88. 3:09to.
89. 3:10>> You've lost some freedom.
90. 3:11>> Very regulated.
91. 3:13>> The founders may not have foreseen
92. 3:14today's deeply divided America, but the
93. 3:17country has already survived far worse
94. 3:19and endured. Sarah Smith, BBC News,
95. 3:22Mount Rushmore, South Dakota.