Defiant Patriotism: Loving America in Spite of the Government
For many Americans, the 250th anniversary is less a cause for celebration and more a sign of how far we have fallen. Why it's important to resist despair and fight anyway
The Fourth of July is coming, and for many Americans, it feels less like a celebration of greatness and more like a sad display of pride. American pride has dripped consistently, and with it, many, especially those on the left, have raised a serious question: is there any reason to be patriotic? Is America even worth fighting for? Though the nation is suffering from an increasing slide in authoritarianism and corruption, my answer remains and will hopefully always remain an emphatic yes.
America’s Growing Pessimism
The country is increasingly feeling less pride in itself. A June poll showed that an estimated 33% say they are “extremely proud” to be an American, with another 23% describing themselves as “very proud,” down from 2025 and 2024.1 Many Americans are understandably seeing the corruption of the current administration and are appalled by it, even with partisanship influencing public opinion.
And who can blame them? Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that Trump had realized a remarkable $1.4 billion in gains from his crypto investments last year.2 Such a conflict of interest is not only galling in that the president is not bothering to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, but also has no problem making money while he governs the very markets he is investing in, though he claims that he “never speak[s] to any of the people that run the money.”
Even more than its corruption, the Trump administration’s ongoing cruelty remains a serious issue that compounds with each passing day. From sending nonviolent offenders to brutal prisons in El Salvador to considering institutionalizing disabled people, this administration has shown a remarkable willingness to enact inhumane policies. 34 It is no wonder that many Americans feel less than inspired by our current state of affairs.
Yet hope remains.
Why I am Still Proud to be An American
Despite all the cruelty of the current administration, I am increasingly of the opinion that American pride should be divorced from the government and its influence. Every American must endeavor to answer to their own conscience and be willing to fight and endure for those ideas, even when it is unpopular. The famed American writer, Mark Twain, made a similar observation, saying:
“Each must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong and which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide it against your convictions is to be an unqualified and inexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may. If you alone of all the nation shall decide one way, and that way be the right way, you have done your duty yourself and by your country - hold up your head! You have nothing to be ashamed of.” 5
And many Americans have done just that, showing up across this nation and abroad to oppose the corruption and xenophobia that are dripping from this administration’s rotting maw. Nearly 8 million Americans marched in the No Kings Protest earlier this year, rallying America in the largest single-day protest in American history, against Trump and his fascistic movement.6 More recently, an Air Force Major was arrested while carrying a sign outside the Lincoln Memorial, publicly calling for Trump’s impeachment in uniform, knowing full well that that was going to be the outcome. 7 Americans are more than willing to fight the Trump administration, and they will not stop anytime soon.
Nor are the majority of the American people the hateful and fearful people that Trump has attempted to portray us as. The United States is currently hosting the World Cup, and video after video has shown guests from around the world enjoying American culture, and more importantly, its people.
As Paige F from the excellent newsletter She Knows the Score, noted, our guests:
“…are discovering that Americans are generally kind. Most people are eager to help a lost tourist find their way. That our cities are more diverse than they imagined (and how valuable that diversity is) and our communities more welcoming than they expected. They are discovering that the same country capable of exporting political chaos also exports barbecue, baseball, state fairs, and an inexplicable obsession with putting ranch dressing on absolutely everything.
America’s greatest strength has never been perfection. It has always been its people. 8
As Paige rightly notes throughout her article, patriotism is not merely blind support for an administration or government or jingoistic nationalism. It is, at its core, a desire to see the best in one’s country and the willingness to pursue it to the fullest, even if it is difficult. The willingness to fight remains, and with it, patriotism.
Conclusion
I understand that many Americans will see this as naive, and perhaps it is, but in my humble opinion, it is better to hold on to a defiant hope for a better future and the movement to fight for that future than to engage in despair. Despair doesn’t motivate or organize; it keeps people passive and hopeless. We must never be passive.
If America is to improve and become something that inspires pride in subsequent generations, then Americans must hold onto the ideal of defiance and resistance. America is at its best when it rejects the idea that might makes right, and from what I have seen on the streets of this nation, the American people are beginning to reject that idea and will continue to do so. America isn’t done yet.
Johnathan Allen, “Poll: America at 250 Is Riven with Doubt and Pessimism — but with Glimmers of Hope,” NBC News, June 14, 2026, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/poll-america-250-riven-doubt-pessimism-glimmers-hope-rcna348912.
Ben Protess et al., “Trump Pulled In at Least $2 Billion After Returning to the White House,” U.S., The New York Times, June 30, 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/us/politics/trump-financial-disclosure-crypto-windfall.html.
John Mazerolle, “What We Know about CECOT, the Brutal Mega-Prison at the Heart of the Recent 60 Minutes Controversy,” CBC News, December 24, 2025, https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/cecot-megaprison-el-salvador-bukele-trump-deportations-9.7027759.
Annie Ma, “Trump’s Actions Signal a Move toward Institutionalizing People with Disabilities, Advocates Warn,” ABC News, June 30, 2026, https://abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/trumps-actions-signal-move-institutionalizing-people-disabilities-advocates-134365095.
L. W. Denton, “Mark Twain on Patriotism, Treason, and War,” Mark Twain Journal 17, no. 2 (1974): 4–7. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41640985.
“No Kings Protests Draw Estimated 8 Million in Largest Single-Day U.S. Demonstrations,” KMTR, March 29, 2026, https://nbc16.com/news/local/no-kings-protests-draw-estimated-8-million-in-largest-single-day-us-demonstrations-03-29-2026.
Cristina Stassis, “Air Force Major Arrested on Capitol Steps during Protest Calling for Trump Impeachment,” Military Times, July 2, 2026, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/air-force-major-arrested-on-capitol-steps-during-protest-calling-for-trump-impeachment/ar-AA275I7j?ocid=BingNewsSerp.