We’ve covered President Trump’s two important speeches honoring the semiquincentennial of American independence in another article, but the President also used other means, including the breathtaking fireworks displays and music, to convey important political messages over the Independence Day weekend.
The President’s favorite tenor, Christopher Macchio, the acclaimed operatic and crossover tenor, performed patriotic and religious classics like "God Bless America," "Ave Maria," and "Nessun dorma" for the Washington DC celebration.
Lee Greenwood and his song “God Bless the USA” were ubiquitous throughout the Independence Day weekend celebration, including a live performance on the Lincoln Memorial stage during the Washington DC celebration.
At a time when a recent NBC News survey found that 62% of 2024 Trump voters say they are extremely proud to be Americans, compared with just 12% of Kamala Harris voters. And among Republicans, 90% are extremely or very proud, whereas among Democrats, that number sits at just 29%, it takes no great insight to conclude that President Trump’s goal was to fire up his overtly patriotic base going into the 2026 midterm elections.*
But there was another point driven home by music that is worth exploring, and it is one that reinforces a message delivered in both of the President’s Independence Day speeches.
"The Battle Cry of Freedom" by George Fredrick Root was featured as part of the musical and spoken-word accompaniment during the Freedom 250 fireworks and light spectacular at Mount Rushmore.
Although it was the most popular Northern marching song during the Civil War, famously boosting the spirits of soldiers on the battlefield and citizens on the home front, it is not heard as often now, even as part of patriotic medleys.
But President Trump in his speech at Mt. Rushmore had a point to make:
…Yet as we approach this magnificent anniversary, we see our American identity under a renewed attack, a generation after we fought and won the Cold War against the menace of communism.
There is now a resurgence of the communist menace in our land, including from newcomers to our country who embrace ideas totally opposed to our way of life and our great success. These are not mere political disagreements like differences over taxes or regulations. Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty.
It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, or even 9/11. Uh, we're not gonna let this happen to us. Believe me, we're not letting it happen. Because communism is the enemy of free people everywhere, everywhere in the world. Never works. It's the enemy of the Constitution.
Above all, it's the enemy of July 4th, 1776. It is the enemy indeed. Even while the radicals and extremists attack our incredible history at every turn, they are silent on the miserable history of communism itself because it never worked. Thousands of years, if you look at it under different names, under somewhat different ideologies and systems, that system has led to more death and destruction than any system ever tried.
It killed 100 million people just in the last century alone. Communism is the exact opposite of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It's death, tyranny, and the pursuit of evil. The godless communist morality states that anything is justified to bring about inhuman visions and a pro- -- and to really propose what's good.
They don't want good. They don't love God and they don't want God. They don't love religion and they don't want religion, and they won't have it, but we will not let them win. They have no chance against us. They have no respect for law, justice, principle, tradition, or your God-given rights. It's an ideology of mass theft, mass control, mass lies, and mass murder.
Such doctrines can be given no quarter in a democracy because the first thing they do when they get into power is turn around and destroy it. It always is destroyed just as communists have done in other countries all over the world, no matter where you look. Very simply, communism represents the worst ideas and abuses in history by the worst people.
They're doing something much worse than slandering our past, they are slandering and attacking our future. Not gonna let that happen. They're trying to tear down the great American character to destroy the people who declared independence, who crossed to Delaware, who settled the west and conquered the skies.
You know who those people are. But we will never let that happen. 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. Our heroes died to win, build and to save, and to build truly a great country, the greatest country ever in the world. [Audience members call out "USA"] So on the eve of this 250th anniversary of American heritage, we resolve and swear for all to hear that the citizens of the United States of America will vanquish communism quickly.
Musically, what does giving “no quarter” and vanquishing Communism quickly look like?
It looks a lot like the chorus of “The Battle Cry of Freedom.”
The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with the traitors, up with the stars
While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!
And what does rallying President Trump’s patriotic base for the midterms look like?
It looks a lot like Verse 4, which says:
So, we're springing to the call from the East and from the West
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom
And we'll hurl the rebel crew from the land that we love best
Shouting the battle cry of Freedom!
We don’t think we are overanalyzing things when we conclude that over the next four months voters are going to hear this refrain over and over again – the Democratic Party’s rising Democratic Socialist stars are Communists and traitors who are subverting the Constitution, who should be given no quarter as we put them down.
*The pop tunes performed, including "YMCA," "Livin' on a Prayer," "Don't Stop Believin," and "Party in the U.S.A." also communicated, in addition to showcasing the extraordinary talent of the soloists of the U.S. military’s musical ensembles, they gave attendees permission to let down their hair and PARTY to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
George Rasley is editor of Richard Viguerie's ConservativeHQ.com. A veteran of over 300 political campaigns, in the course of ten presidential campaigns he served as an event producer and advance representative for some of America’s most recognized conservative political figures, including Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin and Jack Kemp. A member of American MENSA, he served on the House and Senate staff and on the staff of Vice President Dan Quayle. Rasley is a graduate of Hanover College and studied international affairs at Oxford University's Worcester College.
