Democrats turned Independence Day into a soapbox for gloom, overshadowing the nation’s birthday with dire warnings about democracy’s demise.
Fox News reported that on July 4, 2025, Democrats like Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, and Bernie Sanders took to social media, not with fireworks and flags, but with messages that critics say dripped with division.
Their posts, heavy on fear and light on festivity, sparked a backlash from those who saw the holiday as a time for unity, not political posturing.
Harris, Obama, and Sanders used their platforms to sound alarms about threats to democratic ideals, a stark contrast to the patriotic pride most associate with the Fourth. This approach, some argue, alienated citizens eager to celebrate the country’s founding, not mourn its perceived decline.
Kamala Harris, former vice president, posted a photo on X alongside former second gentleman Doug Emhoff, notably cropping out President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden. Social media users were quick to call out the edit, suggesting it was a petty jab at her former running mate.
The snip, intentional or not, fueled chatter about Democratic infighting at a time when unity might have served them better.
Harris’ accompanying message was less about stars and stripes and more about struggle. “Things are hard right now. They are probably going to get worse,” she wrote, urging a fight for national ideals. Such dour rhetoric, critics argue, turned a day of celebration into a campaign stump speech, missing the mark on what Independence Day means to most.
Former President Joe Biden, not to be outdone, posted a call to “fight to maintain” democracy. His message, while less bleak than Harris’, still leaned into a narrative of peril over pride.
For a holiday rooted in triumph over tyranny, Biden’s words struck some as oddly combative, more suited to a debate stage than a backyard barbecue.
Barack Obama, ever the orator, took a philosophical tack, claiming “core democratic principles seem to be continuously under attack.”
He leaned hard into his 2008 “Yes We Can” slogan, emphasizing “we” as democracy’s cornerstone. But his lofty prose was met with pushback, with some arguing it cast aspersions on the very electorate that chose the current administration.
Xi Van Fleet, a survivor of Mao’s Cultural Revolution, fired back at Obama’s message with a pointed rebuke. “We the People are taking our country back,” she declared, accusing him of working to “dismantle” America’s foundation. Her words resonated with those who felt Democrats were using the holiday to lecture rather than celebrate.
Obama’s reference to the “we” in democracy, while poetic, didn’t land well with everyone. Critics argued it implied a select group—perhaps his ideological allies—owned the nation’s moral high ground. On a day meant to honor shared heritage, such framing felt to many like a subtle dig at half the country.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, championed the “No Kings” movement, tying the 1776 rejection of monarchy to modern politics.
“On July 4, 2025, Americans say again: No to Kings, No to Despotism,” he proclaimed. Social media users were quick to remind him that Trump, unlike a king, was democratically elected, undercutting Sanders’ historical parallel.
The backlash wasn’t limited to Van Fleet’s sharp critique. X users piled on, mocking the Democrats’ somber tone as out of touch with the holiday’s spirit. Many argued that airing grievances on Independence Day was less about principle and more about pandering to a disgruntled base.
Sanders’ “No Kings” post, in particular, drew eye-rolls for its dramatic flair. Commenters pointed out that equating an elected president to a despot stretched credulity, especially on a day celebrating the defeat of actual tyrants. The senator’s rhetoric, they argued, was more about rallying his followers than honoring history.
Harris’ cropped photo, meanwhile, became a meme magnet, with users joking about her apparent snub of Biden. The edit, whether a gaffe or a calculated move, distracted from her message of resilience.
Obama, fresh off the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum in Chicago in December 2024, has been vocal about democratic erosion. His Independence Day message echoed those concerns but struck critics as tone-deaf for a holiday synonymous with national pride. The forum’s lofty ideals seemed to clash with the backyard patriotism of July 4.
Sanders, never shy about taking on corporate power, had recently criticized Paramount for settling a lawsuit tied to Trump’s election interference claims.
His “No Kings” rhetoric fit his broader anti-establishment brand but felt to many like a stretch when applied to a day of flag-waving unity. The Democrats’ collective pivot to alarmism, critics argue, risks alienating a nation hungry for hope over hand-wringing.
