Pope Leo XIV Calls for Greater Civic Unity at 250th Anniversary of U.S. Independence

In a video released on Friday, Pope Leo XIV addressed the American public. The 70-year-old Leo, the head of the Catholic Church who was born in Chicago, expressed the hope that the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence would be an occasion for a "solemn renewal of the commitment" to the founding ideals of the United States. Public discourse must also be "marked by respect for the views of others and a continuing effort to seek common ground."

Papal Appeal Without Names

The Pope recalled that the history of his home country had been shaped by "successive waves of immigrants" and called for more careful treatment of migrants. He had already criticized the harsh treatment of immigrants in the United States in the past. In his current message, he did not name U.S. President Donald Trump; the Pontiff also stated that he was not afraid of Trump.

Trump had called the Pope "weak" in the fight against crime and "terrible" on foreign policy back in April. He had also reacted angrily to the Pope's appeals for peace, accusing him, with regard to Iran, of siding with a country "that wants a nuclear weapon."

The celebrations for this milestone birthday are politically charged. Large events are planned across the country, including a military flyover and a major fireworks display. The tensions between Republicans and Democrats run through all areas of public life, in the view of many observers.

Jerry, a retired couple from Texas who had traveled especially for the opening of the exhibition, summed up the mood of many of their compatriots: "Republicans against Democrats, those who are against the government, and others who love it." His wife Trina added: "The country is divided like never before." Both expressed concern that the United States was on the path toward authoritarian rule.

Exhibition in Washington as Political Seismograph

The special exhibition at the National Museum of American History in Washington conveys an impression of this division as well. Under a title marking the 250th anniversary, the museum displays 250 objects, including the wooden writing box on which Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, the legendary ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," and a humble lunch counter section from Greensboro, North Carolina. At this counter, four African American students took their seats in 1960 at a place reserved for whites only — their quiet protest triggered a nationwide protest movement, and Greensboro is regarded as a turning point of the American civil rights movement.

Curator Theo Gonzalves explained that the ruby slippers were "by far" the most popular exhibit. The shoes touched many people in a country shaped by immigration, he said, referring to the film's plot, which tells of the longing for a home. Jerry and Trina expressed relief that their favorite object was not Donald Trump's red MAGA cap, but the original shoes from the film.

The exhibition had been regarded in advance as a political test case, as Trump had called in March 2025 by decree for a patriotic narrative in the museums, one that emphasizes freedom, progress, and national greatness rather than portraying the United States as a land of racism and oppression. Project director Megan Howell Smith made clear: "No! The exhibition concept went through the standard review procedures for the state-run Smithsonian museums, but nothing was changed." Gonzalves emphasized that no one had demanded changes to the texts or objects.

Reckoning of Military Interventions

According to the curators, the special exhibition highlights a recurring theme: the shared history that connects the people of the country. This reading stands in contrast to a 2024 survey according to which 74 percent of Americans polled agreed with the statement that democracy in the United States had "once been a good example" but "in recent years" no longer was.

The scholarly reckoning with U.S. foreign policy is also critical. According to data from political scientists Monica Duffy Toft and Sidita Kushi, a lecturer at Mount Holyoke College, the United States has intervened militarily outside its borders in more than 500 cases over the past 250 years. Latin America has been the most frequent theater of U.S. interventions since the early 19th century. In recent decades, a clear shift in many of these interventions toward the Middle East, North Africa, and the countries south of the Sahara has taken place, especially in the course of the global fight against terrorism after 2001.

According to Kushi, the motives for military intervention have shifted. The "protection of economic interests" was once the primary goal of military interventions but has lost significance since the Second World War. Instead, since September 11, 2001, "maintaining or building a government in another country" has become the most important motive. Post-Cold War foreign policy broadened the national interest and, with growing military strength, enabled a worldwide presence, Kushi explained.

Diplomacy on the Retreat

In parallel, Kushi observes a shift in strategic thinking: since 2001, U.S. politicians have increasingly doubted that adversaries act rationally. If "we cannot talk to our enemies on the basis of reason, … then we are left with the use of force," Kushi summarized this view. In the current year 2026, the report points to two U.S. military actions aimed at regime change: the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January and the start of the war against Iran in February.

Calvin Thrall, a professor of political science at Columbia University, describes a contrary trend in trade agreements in his project "Measuring American Diplomacy." From the 1960s into the 1980s, the U.S. government concluded an increasing number of trade agreements. But the number of such agreements has also declined regardless of which party is in power, particularly over the past ten years. In bilateral agreements, the more powerful partner — in these cases, usually the United States — can dictate the terms, Thrall said. Diplomats are very good at promoting exports and negotiating investment and trade agreements when given the resources and personnel.

250th Birthday of a Divided Republic

However, the United States has historically lacked investment in the bureaucratic capacities needed to internationally achieve what it would like to achieve, Thrall criticized. According to Matt Malis, more ambassador posts are currently unfilled than ever before under this administration. Thrall points to the drastic increase in the defense budget and a correspondingly shrinking State Department budget since September 11. Nevertheless, both ambassadors and rank-and-file diplomats have played an important role in achieving the outcomes sought by states.

Malis also points out that the United States has become involved in military conflicts more frequently with countries in which it has no ambassador. Currently, for example, there is no U.S. ambassador in Bolivia, Pakistan, or Malawi, Thrall said, concluding: "President Trump is absolutely willing to openly say: 'We are in this for our financial interests. This is not about values or about upholding an international order.'" The direct juxtaposition documents the tension between Trump's power-political self-image and the canon of values to which Pope Leo XIV appealed in his birthday message.

With regard to the tendencies toward division, the Tagesspiegel commentary by Christoph von Marschall summarizes the question preoccupying many Americans: Will Trump become the gravedigger of democracy? The anniversary on July 4, 2026 owes no clear answer — but the documented reactions, from the papal admonition to the concerns of the exhibition visitors from Texas, paint the picture of a nation that, on its 250th birthday, is struggling for its identity.

A commentary by Christoph von Marschall, Tagesspiegel Plus; aired on July 3, 2026, 11:57 a.m.; Source: APA.