On Fourth of July, tradition dictates that United States presidents avoid any self-promotion of partisanship, remaining outside the nationally funded festivities to avoid any perception that Americant taxpayers are footing the bill for a politcal rally. Donald Trump may not much care about tradition, so a message from the last president was a welcome return to normalcy.
Happy Fourth of July, everybody! This is always a great day in the Obama family: a chance to celebrate America—and Malia’s birthday, too. Hope all of you are able to get some time with friends, family, and fireworks. pic.twitter.com/Gn9kVCCnuf
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 4, 2019
The world watched Obama’s daughters grow into women, and Malia turns 21 on this Fourth of July. Instead of focusing on partisan messages, the president wishes his oldest daughter a happy birthday and the country a happy Fourth. It is so odd to think that such a simple gesture could remind Americans of better times and make them nostalgic for the not-so-long-ago days when America wasn’t an embarrassment in front of the world.
As Trump speaks during his dictorial-style military parade and puts on his dog-and-pony show in front of his supporters, President Obama will be sorely missed. The First Family who didn’t endlessly violate every norm in an attempt to install a foolishly-conceived political dynasty, a wish that hopefully will never be granted after Trump goes down in history as the worst president ever, will spend their day together as a family with good wishes to the country and will otherwise stay away from any partisan or campaign messages.
Of course, Malia’s birthday party might also have more attendees than Trump’s massively expensive celebration. White House officials have already expressed concerns that the weather and poor, late planning will keep everyone other than the most rabid of Trump fans away.
Twitter was happy to hear from the last democratically-elected president. Read some of their comments below:
Featured image via Flickr by Marc Nozell under a Creative Commons license