A worrying number of Americans do not believe the country will exist in its current form in another 250 years, according to a new poll.
A survey conducted by Reuters/Ipsos found that 38 percent of respondents do not believe the U.S. will exist as a single country 250 years from now.
The poll of 1,537 adults also showed that Americans believe the U.S.’s standing on the world stage has declined since Trump first entered the White House.
Around 30 percent of Americans said they consider the heavily divided United States the greatest country in the world, down from 38 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in November 2017 during Trump’s first term.
Next month’s Independence Day will mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which severed ties with Britain and established the United States of America.
In the weeks leading up to July 4, Trump has announced a number of events in which he has placed himself front and center of what would otherwise be nonpartisan celebrations for the entire country.
This includes Sunday’s tacky UFC event on the White House grounds, which just so happened to coincide with Trump’s 80th birthday.
The already controversial event was marred when heavyweight fighter Josh Hokit launched a vile insult at Michelle Obama, calling the former first lady “a man” after defeating Derrick Lewis in the second round of their fight.
Elsewhere, almost all of the acts originally announced for the Freedom 250 live concerts, scheduled to begin on June 24, have pulled out, claiming they were duped into believing it was a nonpartisan event rather than one organized by Trump loyalists.
Instead, pro-Trump country singer Lee Greenwood, tenor Christopher Macchio, and the U.S. Army and Marine Corps bands have been hastily announced as replacements.
The president has also confirmed that he will headline what is essentially a Trump rally at the newly repainted and refilled Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the evening of July 4, where he will deliver “keynote remarks that you will not want to miss.”
Elsewhere, the Reuters/Ipsos survey found that a majority of U.S. adults believe events celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary have become too political.
In response, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told the Daily Beast: “President Trump is ensuring that America gets the spectacular birthday it deserves.
“The celebration of America’s 250th anniversary is going to display great patriotism in our Nation’s Capital and throughout the country, and the president is proud to participate in our historic semiquincentennial celebration. Only people who suffer from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome would find a problem with that.”
