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how the white house has celebrated the fourth of july through history. washington journal is next. ♪ >> good morning. it is independence day in america. at the white house later today president trump will headline a salute to america event involving a flyover the washington on you meant. the head of those festivities -- ahead of those festivities, we are spending this morning asking viewers how you feel about this country this morning? are you proud to be an american? if you live in the eastern time zone, call (202) 748-8000.

if you live in the pacific time zone, the number is (202) 748-8001. you can also send us a text this morning. (202) 748-8003. please involve -- include your name. a very good saturday morning to you. you can start calling in now about this question. asking this question in the wake of a gallup poll last month that found u.s. national pride has fallen to record lows. from that pole, although a majority of adults in the u.s. say they are either extremely proud or very proud, these readings are the lowest since gallup's initial pullback in 2001. 12% of americans say they are only a little proud. that pole was released june 15,

2020. more on that pole on the history of this question -- the experience -- percent of americans expressing extreme pride in this country has been declining. just over half felt initial afterin the initial poll the 9/11 terror attacks. were extremely proud in the coming -- following years. whens all study until 2015 it dropped to 54%. the current reading is the sixth consecutive year that it has fallen into a new low in gallup's trend. just 42%. president trump last night celebrated fourth of july at rushmore. this is the president. importanted the most

day in the history of nations -- ldrold the most -- we hera the most important day in the history of nations. every american family should cheer with delight and every american patriot should be filled with joy because each of you lives in the most magnificent country in the history of the world. it will soon be rater than ever before. greater than ever before. [applause] founders launched not only a revolution in government at a revolution in the pursuit of justice, equality, liberty, and prosperity. no nation has done more to advance the human condition and the united states of america and did no people have done more to

promote human progress and the citizens of our great nation. -- they on the citizens of our citizens of our great nation. was made possible by patriots who gathered in philadelphia and signed the declaration of independence. [applause] enshrined a divine truth that changed the world forever when they said "all men are created equal." these immortal words said in motion the unstoppable march of freedom. our founders boldly declared that we are all endowed with the same divine rights given us by our creator in heaven and that which god has given us we will

allow no one ever to take away ever. nightpresident trump last at mount rushmore. here are some of the headlines from this morning from different sides of the political spectrum. first are from the conservative side, breitbart -- mount rushmore will stay forever -- stand ever, quoting the president. -- cancel culture equals totalitarianism. from newsmax, the headline -- at mount rushmore trump rebukes merciless campaign to wipe out our history. from the liberal side, from the huffington post, president pathetic at rushmore as covid places -- covid cases climb. is the headline

they went with. this morning, we are asking you there you are proud to be an american. the lines are split up regionally. (202) 748-8000 if you are in the eastern time zone, (202) 748-8001 if you are in the mountain or pacific time zone. go ahead into start calling in. maria is: first out of atlanta, georgia. good morning. caller: good morning. i am not trying to be american. i am 50 years old and i don't think there's anything proud to be american about. everyone says this is the greatest country, which i do not believe. beautifulhing i see is some genuinely kind people. when was -- time youn was the last

were proud to be an american? caller: when was the last time i was proud to be american? never. once i started learning my anythingi don't see nice. .y father taught me a lot i know history. what did you say? don't: people say "if you this country, why don't you leave?" if i had the money, i would leave this country. we got a stimulus paycheck. other countries gave their people way more money. there's nothing nice about america. host: where would you go if you could leave? caller: canada, the netherlands,

they get free health care and free education and did they are -- they get four days out of the week they work. i love the genuine, kind people into the beautiful nature. host: social circle, georgia. -- are you proud to be an american? caller: i will always be proud to be an american because i was born here and it is a nation of fewgrants but we just got a problems we need to work out and it has got a lot of people confused because the people in power like warren buffett, donald trump, they have sucked money out of the economy, increased their profits every year and left to the working people without a dime and it turned them into hungry dogs. that is what they did.

they turned them into hungry dogs because they increased their profits and it sucked the economy dry. now people in high places, judges, police officers -- most of them have been -- become corrupt. lifelong -- life term position, you become corrupt. host: are we moving toward fixing those probe -- problems are -- caller: we are going to fix them. the majority of people are good people. it is not a white or black thing. been politically push that way to keep people confused but people are going to wise up and pull together as block,

white, asians, all of the different countries are in america and we will pull together and get some of these people out of office, off the police department, and we will band together and be united again. in massachusetts this morning. are you proud to be an american? caller: good morning. but proud to be an american i am not too proud of it one of my fellow american citizens. i am disappointed in the president and i think he is pathetic and i think the republican party is pathetic. i am tired of the republicans and their ilk calling themselves conservatives because they are not conservatives. they create all this mess, all this turmoil. it trump is the worst thing that has happened to america since

john wilkes booth. host: randy, palm springs california. your next. caller: i am not proud at the moment to be an american. i'm disappointed i what is going on in this country. 66. an older gentleman -- the covid crisis, this is all trump's fault. trump created all these problems. prior to trump coming in, we were getting somewhere with this country. --were trying to kill it he'll it -- to heal it. trump has opened the scab. this inequity and financial problems could heal

because trump will be gone. something andwant we will get it hopefully if trump will leave in november. i just hope it leaves. that is my biggest fear right now. he is a hatemonger and a racist and a bigot and every time i see him on tv, i just wanted to shout. he boils my blood. host: a few comments already from our text messages service and from social media. saying,bill on twitter "i am proud to be an american. i am shamed to be an american in trump's america." " this will be a recurring theme of the calls this morning on washington journal." this from a nathan in new jersey. "it makes me proud to see an event like that but look at the

native american people taken off their land to make room for mount rushmore. we need to atone for it. wasp pride is more than claiming you have -- false pride is more than claiming you have bone spurs." just a few of the comments from social media and from our text messages service this morning or you can call in. phone lines are split up regionally this morning. if you are in the eastern or central time zones, (202) 748-8001 if you are in the pacific or mountain time zones. the breitbart wrapup noted creation of ap's memorial garden. this is the president talking about what that national garden would mean and who would be in it. with the authority vested in

me as the president of the united states, i am announcing the creation of a new monument to the giants of our past. i am signing an executive order to establish the national garden of american heroes, a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest americans to ever live. [applause] >> some this night -- from this night and from this place, let us go forward united in our purpose and rededicated in our resolve. we will raise the next

generation of american patriots. we will write the next thrilling chapter of the american adventure and we will teach our children to know that they live in a land of legends that thing can stop them and that no one can hold them down. [applause] america you can anythingng, you can be , and together we can achieve anything. host: president trump last night at mount rushmore. in the executive order, the president calling for that national garden to be open prior to the public -- open to the public prior to the constitutions --

the national garden should be composed of statues including statues of susan b anthony, clara barton, daniel boone, henry clay, davey crockett, amelia earhart, alexander hamilton, thomas jefferson, abraham lincoln, douglas macarthur, dolly madison, james madison, ronald reagan, jackie robinson, antonin scalia a, --riet -- incidents glia antonin scalia, harriet tubman. those names specifically mentioned in the president's order -- executive order. next caller is from phoenix. caller: i am proud to be an american. it is a good nation.

we have a lot of good things going for us. i was enjoying the national forest yesterday. i agree president trump could do a better job to unite us, what we all need to come together and help one another and everyone have a good, happy fourth of july. host: what does the president do that is very good? admire that he is proud to be an american. we have our sins of the past country.other you cannot hold 2020 to the same 1770.rds of 70 -- all nations have fought for land, there have been conquerors . we need to make some more amends, may be about the are a great country and we need to maybrate our country and we

need to apologize for some things but we know we are a great country, especially in the last few decades we have done a lot of inks for people, other countries, -- things for people, other countries. host: would you call america still the greatest country in the world? caller: i think so. it is definitely one of them. there are some good countries in western europe. we have some great freedoms, , goodf places to see people. there is always room for that gentlemanke said. but we have a lot of things going for us. host: this question about whether america is the dutch is still -- is it the greatest country in the world -- suffolk

recently asked that question in a poll. one third of those surveyed, some 32% called the usa the greatest country in the world. majority asserted a 12% ofn greatness -- those surveys said the u.s. was an average country. the worst was one of countries and the world. back to your phone calls. melissa, radford, pennsylvania. are you proud to be an american? go ahead. caller: i am very proud to be an american. you need to leave race, religions, and politics out of it and remember right from

wrong. what we are doing as a society is an embarrassing. it is truly embarrassing. i have a long history of the military and my ancestors are rolling in their grave, but i am proud to be american. nonsense needs to stop. all you need to stop -- do is be nice. host: what is the nonsense? caller: the rioting, the looting, the be mean to the theks, being mean to indigenous native americans, which i am. -- we need to learn to be nice. now i am a little embarrassed quite frankly. leaderse our political helping americans learn to be nice? caller: is that a trick

question? [laughter] host: no, are we getting leadership on that front yucca -- on that front? caller: i think trump is doing the best he can with what he has to work with. host: our next caller comes from california. caller: good morning. i have got to tell you that i am proud to be an american. americans just simply -- i know we are many ethnicities here in this country. we have to leave the past behind "-- host: when you say leave the past behind, what do you mean? caller: there were failures in our system. there is no perfect system. we just have to get past that ourselves.unify

come a nation of humans that really embrace what this country is all about. this country is an amazing place. people take it for granted. i am in my 60's and i have got to tell you, i have been through a trend of things in this country and i have never seen anything like the present. i just don't get it, why humans just want to take an abandoned tradition and try to re-create something. sure we can bring change but we can bring it in a civilized way. we don't necessarily have to take and destroy everything around us. we have to embrace everything around us because we are the greatest country on earth.

i really believe that. california.do in our next caller is from orlando. caller: good morning. to be an proud american. i was raised as a military army brat. i got to go to germany where my hell as at through 12-year-old emigrating from another country back to germany had to fightpa hellertler's and my -- tler and my father was stationed in germany. he married my mother and now i have a grandson who is black,

german, american indian. he is a mix. he has diversified like this country is. diversified like this country is. host: the question a few people have brought up is are we still the greatest country in the world? how do you think we stand in comparison to other countries? caller: yes, we are the greatest country. the people i have noticed who do not realize that have not been outside of their general area. they were raised in one space with one point of knowledge. they do not know their history. they are not teaching history. now these people are trying to destroy our country by taking down the history. if they take down the history, then history will continue to repeat itself. to yourve you talked grandson about the black lives

matter movement and what has been happening in cities around this country? caller: no, he is only two years old. i pray to god this country turns what ourd stands for fathers believed in -- bringing people together. that is why we are so diversified. there is one side that is trying to destroy our country by mindset thatin a they will take care of them, ok? they are never going to get out of there little home that they never come out of. i believe that all of our high school students before they graduate from high school should to go to a-- have third world country and see how it is there. i think it would change their

mindset of how they host: host: have been raised. been raised.ave host: we are spending this fourth of july asking if you are proud to be an american. we are spotting up the phone lines originally. we want to show you some of the members of congress who spoke on the senate floor this week about the ideals of america. this is cory booker of new jersey on the floor recently calling on america to live up to her ideals when it comes to addressing systemic racism. you -- it is not just the absence of violence. it is the presence of justice. this unjust cycle in our country that we seem to be stuck in that

makes the names of children like household names, it a violenced with that is pervasive in our nation, that demands all of us to speak out against with the same fever dutch as with the those condemning -- with the same fervor as those condemning violence in our country today. far from thes beloved community we need to somehow find. we need to find a way out of that cycle. nation. violence in our a nation where a person's race is the single biggest factor in whether they

live near a toxic site or not. ask the mother of a child who drink a lead water for months and months and had their brain permanently damaged if that is not violence? if -- do not have access to -- ask the woman who lost her child because desk ask the woman who lost her child because -- ask at the woman who lost her child because she did not have access to prenatal care. a this is not -- this is violence in our country that condemnation. it is a violence we see in our criminal justice system, to environmental injustice, to the denial as one author says of equality -- of the savage

inequalities in our education systems. it is why so many black americans scream out to "do you see me?" i do not have justice for all, do you see me? i matter. black lives matter. a black bodies matter. america, i love you, do you see me? do you know my experiences? do you see the feelings of our ideals. host: senator cory booker of new jersey on the senate floor recently. this morning we are asking you are you proud to be an american? phone lines are split up regionally for you to call in as we take your calls and also letting you know about events today in washington. c-span is covering -- covered the presidents event to last

night at mount rushmore. independence day events continued tonight with the salute to america event. we will include the blue angels into thunderbirds flyover of the national mall -- and thunderbirds flyover of the national mall, including historic planes as well flying over the national mall. it is expected to happen at 6:45 tonight to followed by a fireworks display. 9:07.are set to start at two companies will set off more than 10,000 fireworks from an area more than a mile long. the u.s. secretary of the interior david bernhardt in a news release said it would be an incredible fireworks display that promises to be the largest

in recent memory. david bernhardt in that press release yesterday. the front page of the new york times with an interesting story about the fireworks industry and what is happening in that sector of the economy this year in light of the global pandemic and canceled fireworks displays around this country. boom over san bay diego will be quiet this year. the skies over lake tahoe, that celebration will be dark. the freedom blast in the annapolis, charleston south 80% ofa, -- as many as community fireworks displays have been canceled over fears they would create a social distancing nightmare. 150and 50 companies -- companies across the country who

-- numerous cancellations this year are taking a significant financial toll on their businesses, many of them family owned for generations. companiese fireworks did receive money through the ppp and economic injury disaster loan program but they said it was not enough because they fireworks industry has many upfront costs. they paid hefty insurance premiums to cover the planned events. they hope congress will remark funds for it in another stimulus bill if one is passed. we are asking for relief to address the special costs of this industry said julie heckman, fireworks displays companies will be one of the last industries to reopen into

that may not happen until may, 2021 -- and that remote hope and told me to 21. may,ext caller -- until 2021. our next caller is from las vegas. are you proud to be an american? caller: yes. would like to see the president initiate an agenda here. we are at war right now. it is called the corona. our main objective as americans today is not to get anyone killed. the way to do that is not to get infected. the way to do that is to wear a mask, stay 30 feet away from people and enjoy yourselves. wear gloves,-- hand sanitizer, whatever you

want to do. above and beyond the cdc measures. andot get anyone killed happy independence day. host: do think the president needs to do more to show himself wearing a mask to set an example when it comes to mask wearing in public? think he does. i think he needs to separate himself from the freedom fighters. these freedom fighters get out there and say they want to start up the economy and get everything going and get they left a lot -- he left a lot of time supporters behind. for trump in november unless joe biden picks the right vp. host: who would be the right vp?

caller: andrew cuomo. that man is intelligent. i have never seen a man who can do a powerpoint present -- presentation two months in a row and look like he is doing it so easy. i am a professor. i do to powerpoint presentations in a week. do twon is smarter -- i powerpoint presentations and a week. that man is smarter than me. host: what do you teach? caller: government. host: what do you think we will be teaching years from now on the state of government in 2020 2020?-- in caller: that is something to think about. all the people moving statues of , making enemies of the people

who founded this country, it is something to -- something new go blue will just something you don't really want to think about. don't reallyyou want to think about. we can beat this war and the corona. from last is kurt vegas. on the mask wearing, a picture in the near times of mike pence wearing a mask from his recent trip out to arizona, a trip that was changed around a bit in the wake of agents on his advanced team testing positive for coronavirus. vice president mike pence canceled his plan to headline a faith in america rally in tucson yuma.hen in

a shorter visit to phoenix, promising help is on the way with a dish at a press atference with mr. ducey -- a press conference with mr. ducey. , good morning.e your next. -- you are. next. half native a american, half irish so when i say to to these antifa people, if you do not like this country, there is the door. i am seeing it about my land. my great-grandfather walked to the trail of tears -- i am

saying it about my land. my great grandfather walked the trail of tears. host: this is mike out of eastham, massachusetts. caller: good morning. questionll answer the i am a proud american of course. i am 65 years old but i have never seen anything like what is going on in this country today. the problem it seems is everyone is angry with everyone else. i think we have more in common than we do that divide us. there used to be a time when elections could be nasty, but electionuld have the and then go about their business. that does not seem to be the case. i do not believe americans want 24/7 onhe president

television. i think people get news from and if theyurces one new sores than they are swayed in that direction. we have never had a news source directed totally to donald trump or the president in this case. we have a choice now if we are wayg to continue this because our neighbors cannot even talk to each other. host: you started off by saying there are things that unite us though. what are those things that you think still unite us, that stir our battle it -- our better angels yucca caller: -- are ur bettergels -- stir o angels?

caller: things like today, holidays. was thethe late 60's last time we had this kind of civil unrest in this country and this has happened in a fashion fast.s incredibly it past few months have tested our mettle. --y have divided us from divided us those who know what is going on from those who do not know what is going on. host: you say our holidays are something that unite us. is president trump celebrating this holiday in the right way? the presidents event last night at mount rushmore including a lot of concerns about mask wearing among the 7000 not mom -- among --

the 7000 in attendance. violatet today could crowding guidelines. is this holiday uniting us yucca caller: -- is this holiday uniting us? messageshere are mixed from the top down. i have a home in florida. i am in massachusetts now because i moved to a better state. i was cautious and did everything i was supposed to do. i was tested in florida when they became available for testing. i am in a good space. i do not have to do much in a retired situation other than watch the news. i am very attuned to what is going on. i just believe we cannot

--tinue with this kind of this is not governing. broken on both levels. the extremes on both sides are too extreme and that is where we do not have any common ground. we need health care. if they would have taken $1 -- sixn of this success dollars or 7 trillion -- if they would have taken $1 trillion of or7$ trillion -- host: is news today something that unites us or divides us today-- is it news something that unites us or divides us?

caller: it depends. mix.an get a news it is a four channels. you can flip from one to the other in a foursquare and watch what they are doing, what fox covers at that moment, what a mess nbc covers at that moment, snbc covers at that moment. host: what do you get by doing that yucca -- what do you get by doing that? caller: you can see what they are covering at that moment. if you cover a lot of fox news, it is very rosy trump. all of the sidebars are the 2000 additional cases that they have today in the coronavirus

debacle. those are the little sidebars but otherwise it is trump, trump, trump. he is a good guy and all these people are on his side. i'm not against the guy. as mucht need to know as i know about him. i gave him a chance, i did not vote for him. after the first year i thought, "this does not seem right. this does not seem to be going in a direction that is good for everybody. i plumber and my electrician are angry." are goingou think you to vote for joe biden daca -- do you think you are going to vote for joe biden? caller: no. i do not know what they are angry about. they are trump of voters. they have an energy that seems

to be one focused and not interested in listening to anybody else. host: that is mike out of massachusetts. when it comes to joe biden, the democratic nominee or a will be officially the nominee after the democratic convention, he spoke this week in the wake of the report that came out talking about the economy into the pandemic and president trump's eater ship or lack thereof -- leadership or lack thereof. >> democrats in congress have put forth legislation to reward our brave frontline workers. and help people find childcare. to extend benefits for the duration of the crisis. meanwhile president trump is stalling on help for working

families. acknowledgedeven the disproportionate impact this disease is having on black, brown, and native american communities. he has done nothing to address that. -- that would require him to put the american people ahead of his own interests. it did not have to be like this. america has reported more infections and deaths than anywhere else in the world. our health care workers are still russian during -- rationing ppe. we do not have enough testing to allow people to return to work with confidence. president trump has turned wearing a mask into a political statement. yesterday he once more claimed

the coronavirus would just disappear. just disappear i hope, that is what he said. it is like deja vu all over again. answer?still his best quit hoping for the best, mr. president. withclaiming victory nearly 15 million americans still out of work because of the crisis. stop ignoring the horrifying loss of american life. act. lead. or get out of the way so others can. god bless you all. may god protect you and our troops. thank you. host: former vice president joe biden this week in the wake of the latest jobs are part. taking your calls this morning on the washington journal,

asking this question, are you proud to be an american. michael in oregon said, "i am neither proud nor ashamed. the old identifications fall away and one begins to approach a measure of true humanity facing the donning son of love suncompassion -- dawning of love and compassion." an imperfect world that is in need of constant work to make it a better place." " yes, we have still got it in america." " proud to be an american right susan, " no way."

just a few comments from our viewers. our next caller is from milwaukee, wisconsin. i am an african-american woman and i am very proud to be an american because my ancestors helped to build this country and to make it what it is. i am not ashamed of that. i am very proud of the sacrifices they made not just for themselves but for everyone else. they made sacrifices because they were thinking about those of us who would come after them. i stand on their shoulders and the hard work that they put forth. i am very proud of what they went through. they went through more than i could ever imagine to make this country what it is so i am celebrating. i am celebrating for my

ancestors. descendent of african-americans who built this country and i celebrate for them. they went through it and today lived so that i could have a and theyy of life -- lived so that i could have a better way of life. i pass that on to those who will come ahead of me. i am very proud. when it comes to white privilege , no one wants to deny white people their rights. all we want is to be allowed to have privilege as well. we want good schools, good churches, good communities, good health care, good jobs. that is all we want. privilege for everybody. not just white privilege. privilege for people of color everywhere. proudly celebrate this holiday

for them, myself, and for my people who will be coming along behind me and ahead of me. host: this is denise out of stockton, california. good morning. caller: good. i am such a proud american. i am a black woman. i was not born in this country. can you hear me? host: yes ma'am. where were you born and when did did you come to the u.s.? caller: i was born in the caribbean and i came to this country when i was 14. that was the best thing that happened to me. i can tell you people from my country -- hello? i cannot hear you. host: you are the one talking,

denise. caller: people in my country have no future and i have one in the u.s. and i can tell you that u.s.,y can make it in the if you work hard and i have done it. host: what kind of work did you do, denise? caller: i have a doctorate. i work with patients at the hospital. i am, i had to work two jobs. i had to put my husband through school while i am working two jobs. we are both doctors. we are living the american dream. there is no other country in the world you can do it. you cannot do it in my country. my country was colonized by europeans. ok?

i will tell you, i went to wore his suit.on he had to fix it. when we came to the u.s., guess what we received? a bill. host: a bill from the hospital in europe? caller: a bill from the hospital in europe. we had to pay it. otherwise, if we went back, we would have to -- we would have problems. the u.s. is the best country in the world. host: is our health care system a working? caller: maybe not, but it is better than others. i have a cousin in canada who could not have a primary care physician for for years because when her physician retired, nobody wanted to take her because they do not get pay. arere not the best, but we

close to being carrying -- close to being. we can fix things. i would rather be in the u.s. than any place in the world. aboutasking this question pride in the u.s. in the wake of the gallops poll that came out last month that found out u.s. national pride has fallen to record lows, just a little more from that gallup pole taking a look at how political -- poll taking a look at how political -- still report more acute pride then democrats and independents. there was a nine percentage point decrease in republicans'

national pride. this is the largest year-over-year decline. there was not meaningful change in the last year in the number independents who responded that they are extremely proud to be americans. that gallup poll from june is the reason we are doing this question this morning. oft poll drew the attention journalists from across the country, including max boot whose recent column reads, "i join the americans who do not feel that proud of our country. we have the most confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths and we are still adding more than 20,000 new cases a day. tocan see that unconscionable police brutality continues despite antiracism demonstrations and we have a president who is making the

situation far more wretched. trump is stoking racial tensions c dogs onening to si protesters. was the -- lincoln great emancipator, trump is the great exacerbate her. exacerbator." brownsville, oregon, you are next. caller: thanks for taking my call. i am very proud to be an america, living in america. what i think the problem is, we have a person at the very top, the very highest office in america that behaves as if he cares nothing about america. that is the problem.

when you care about america, you care about the democracy of america. when you care about america, care aboutpeople who america and you do not collude with other nations and other countries to win elections in america. you do not have the head person of our justice system carry water for you. you do everything by the book. you do not purposely go out to turn the world upside down. you have to care about yourself to carry -- care about america. care aboutot america, you cannot care about the democracy of america and i think that is what this presidents problem is. he cannot think beyond himself. if he gave a little thought about the people he serves and give consideration to the

thought that he is supposed to be serving the people, not the people serving him, inks would be different -- things would be different. host: did you get a chance to watch the president at mount rushmore yesterday? i did. if he stood there and read staff and believed what he read from his heart, but he -- stuff and believed what he read from his but he does not believe the stuff he reads. if he paid attention to what was said and acted upon it, things would be different. host: william is next out of chicago. goodcaller: good morning. how are you doing today? with respect to the query, i'm proud to be an american. i may navy that, living the

american dream. candidate at a phd a world-class university. grandson of a crop from the sixth delta. on the son of a survivor of jim crow is him -- jim crowism. i am proud to be an american. with regards to america being the greatest country in the greatness? is in theory, america is the greatest country in the world, but on paper, it's a different story. we can look at education, health care, we can look at providing .upport for working parents i think we need to look at these things to resolve these issues. need to ask the

question, why are people protesting out on the street? the truth of the matter is, this and withine country, that flawless, it has not addressed issues that have him -- it is a flawless country, and within that flawless, it has not addressed issues with people like myself. i know police brutality. i know how it is for my mother to deal with the issues of deciding food or medicine. my mom was a single parent mother of five children. but she is one of the greatest women i've ever experienced. host: let's earn a? -- what's her name? caller: emma. host: when and why did you join the navy?

caller: i joined the navy because of service. my family, on my mother side, served the military since the spanish/american war. they love this country. but has the country loved them? fear for my daughter's life. i don't want her to be another sandra bland. she is 13 years old, brilliant. i just want her to have the same opportunity as everyone else. as king said, be true towards you say when it comes to this country. i got one more thing to say. i know you are stressed for time. i thinkards to florida, she needs to understand whose history she is talking about. is she talking about history

that has been traditionally discussed in the classroom, or is she looking through the lens --african-americans, latin latinx. that's all i have to say. host: thanks for the call from chicago this morning. on thest after 8:00 a.m. east coast, taking your phone calls route our program today, asking this program, are you proud to be an american? our phones are up regionally, there on your screen for you to call in. we want to step away for a minute this morning. president trump returning to the white house early this morning after participating in the celebration of independence day at mount rushmore. we will take time to talk about july 4 at the white house with

lina man, in a historian with the white house historical association, joining as we assume. -- the fourth of july event did not take place until after the white house was built. what do we know about the first independence day celebration at the white house? >> the first celebration takes place july 14 of 1801. thomas jefferson was the second president to move into the white house. previously, john adamson moved in and left shortly after that. the first big opportunity to really celebrate for the occasion, he invited the public to the white house and greeted people in the oval room, known as the blue room. he invited dignitaries, diplomats, even a group came to greet him that day. north of the white house, there

was this big celebrations and parades, and all sorts of stuff like that. host: how does independence day celebrations at the white house evolve throughout the 1800s and into the 1900s? caller: throughout the 19th century, most of the celebrations occurred as kind of a public celebration, so the public could come to the white house, and it was known as the people's house. it is popular to celebrate independence. as you move into the 20th century, presidents started to travel more. perhaps it is not always set in stone the president will be at the white house for the holiday. sometimes, presidents used to get out of town, celebrate with their families, but one of the popular things that has happened in the past 50 years or so is that presidents typically invite their staff and guests together on the white house ground where

they can watch the fireworks. host: we are living in a time of pandemic. take us back to the 1918 spanish flu pandemic and what we know about orth of july celebrations in 1918 and 1919. what was it like? thishere -- was there can turn like we see today about social distancing and whether we should be having these kinds of celebrations. guest: that year, celebrations did occur. i think it is less than what it was now in terms of social and. it wasn't as popular of a practice back and. probably wouldn't have been put into place particularly in that summer, though some people still did take precautions. host: what about other time of whether it was international on west -- international unrest or times of the great depression, how the fourth was celebrated at

the white house even during those times. guest: it has varied. sometimes presidents use it as a moment to unite the nation and rally people together, and other times it is used as a period of relaxation. point, it was recorded in a journal how they were celebrated quietly during world war ii. to new york togo send a quiet [inaudible] sometimes there is great up people. during the war of 1812, it started after the fourth of july, in 1814. the white house was burned by the british that year. host: when did the fourth of july become a federal holiday? guest: it didn't become a federal holiday until 1870.

it evolved over time. there was a question of when the date would be celebrated originally. john adams, there is a letter between him and his wife where he said he thinks the holiday should be on july 2 rather than fourth. host: tonight, at the salute to america event, a promise from the secretary of the interior for one of the largest fireworks displays in recent memory. would fireworks -- when did fireworks become a part of national fourth of july celebrations, and how long have they been around as part of these events we see every year? guest: they kind of gained popularity around the mid 19th century. ofing the presidency james poker, there was a tragedy where they let all fireworks in the newspaper said it was awesome except one firework went

road and entered -- and injured a dozen people and killed a man. it has been a dangerous endeavor from the start. host: you mentioned the south lawn of the white house, a place where guests can watch the fireworks and presidents invite guests. a lot of focus recently around the fencing at the white house, especially with the protests that happened. we know the fence that was put up because of the protests, but the fence that has been around at least as far back as i can remember. when was that put up? was the white house grounds ever a public viewing area for fireworks for anyone to come and sit down and watch from? guest: there have always been fences in various things built around the white house at various points in time. it seems to me and my research, some of the early celebrations for fourth of july occurred north of the white house. as time went on and as the washington monument was built to

the south of the white house, the celebration shifted more to the south lawn area, which is much more open. and as you get out of the gated grounds, lots of open space on the national mall. host: you mentioned your research. remind viewers what the white house historical association is and what you and your colleagues do. guest: it is a nonprofit, bipartisan conversation founded by jaclyn kennedy. it starts to tell the story of the white house and white house history. it is very important. guest: lina mann with the white house historical association. iq for your time on this fourth of july. happy independence day to you. guest: thank you. host: taking your phone calls this morning throughout our program. continuing with the question, asking you whether you are proud to be an american. (202) 748-8000 if you are in the

eastern or central time zones. (202) 748-8001 if you are in the mountain or pacific time zones. alayna is next out of new jersey. good morning to you. caller: good morning. i am proud to be an american. i voted for president trump and i'm planning on voting again for him. know, when you put senator sader talking there, it is that he feels so bad for being an american. i feel bad for him. he is truthful about what he is saying and what he said there, then you know, ,hile he was doing the speech he should alert the people

coming in the south border. because the threat is really there. besides, why doesn't people asked the question? many people are trying to come here. if america was so bad, i don't think nobody would like to come here. host: that is elaine out of new jersey mentioning her senator, cory booker, speaking recently on the senate floor about this country and the living up the ideals of how this country began. many members taking to the senate floor ahead of the july 4 whatay to talk about independence means, what freedoms mean in this country, including senator -- including a senator from georgia. this is part of her speech. >> 55 americans came together to write the united states constitution, guaranteeing the

freedoms for americans to worship, to speak out, to bear arms, to peaceably assemble. followed,rs that america fulfill his promise to form a more perfect union while acknowledging it is not perfect but always striving to do better. we ended the injustice of slavery. 100 years ago this year gave women the right to vote. overcame the great depression. five for equal rights of all americans airing the civil rights movement -- fought for equal rights of all americans during the civil right movement and persevered after september 11. today, we still have the leaders it isake america what today. our servicemen and women bravely protect us across the globe and to keep the enemy away from our shores. the dedicated men and women of law enforcement, who worked

tirelessly to keep our communities and families save. our teachers who provide the gift of education to our youth. our doctors and nurses who save lives every day and have bravely taken on the challenges of covid-19. started exceptionalism with our humble beginnings, and it has endured throughout the challenges our country has faced. it is tempting to focus on the divisions in america today, but we have much more in common that unites us. this fourth of july is a ofinder of the blessing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness all americans deserve. resident reagan once said freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than a generation away from extinction. it is not ours by inheritance. it must be fought for. and defended constantly by each generation. for it only comes once to a

people. i agree, and i hope the fourth of july, we can stand together, proud, that we will strive to make this country a more perfect union. i yield my time. loeffler.tor kelly taking your phone calls this independence day. asking the question, are you proud to be an american? jennifer in tennessee. you are next. caller: good morning. happy fourth of july. host: same to you. caller: yes, i am proud to be american. my parents lived through the great depression. they brother children up to noer disrespect anyone, matter their color, their race, their religion, their sexuality, and i think more people need to look at how they are raising their children.

all of this protesting going on, protesting is fine, but that does not give you the right to burn down people's property, to assault people, to steal, to loot, to do any of those things. i think everybody needs to find -- needs to kind of step back, take a breath, and let's celebrate our country, which is the greatest country in the world. and we have a very, very, very much to be thankful for. host: stephen is next, west palm beach, florida. good morning. caller: good morning, john. can you hear me? host: yes, sir. caller: i would appreciate it if you let me get these points out because you let these people go on and on. about thegotten more

politics, government, and history of this country than 90% of the people that call in. the answer to the question is no. i'm not proud. 2014 was the last time i voted for any of the two major parties. i voted in 2016 for gary johnson, and i will probably never vote again. i have five things i want to say. death, iis gentleman's would be all in favor of the protests, but the point is incorrect. there point is misguided. it is not that black lives matter, it is that lives matter. spray-painted on streets lives matter, i would be more proud to be an american. number two, we as citizens pledge to one thing, the

constitution. and the people that call in are totally misguided when they say that we pledge to the declaration of independence or the gettysburg address, or fdr's four freedoms, or martin luther king's i have a dream speech. we do not pledge to those things. we pledge to the constitution and constitution only. if they understood that, yeah, i would be proud to be an american. number three, one of the most disgusting things i've seen in the last 10 to 12 years, which has been loaded with disgusting things, was when mr. mccain voted down the repeal of obamacare. john, tell me something. in 2010, the democrats got crushed in the worst election defeat in 80 years. lost 3 million

votes in 2012 running against one of the most pathetic nominees the republicans could put forward. he lost the senate in 2014, and of all people, donald trump on the presidency in 2016 with, amongst other pledges, repealing obama care. do you find it rather strange the gentleman that cast the deciding vote tha uphold obamacare was the only member of the senate that knew he would be dead in 18 months? that is stephen out of west palm beach florida. --t is out of holler lulu west palm beach, florida. next is out of honolulu. caller: i am very proud to be an american. former active-duty marine. i pledge to uphold the constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. in america, there is opportunity for everyone.

the same white founding fathers ao, when slavery was not crime, also wrote the constitution which guarantees your rights coming from god, the creator, and not from any man. so no man can take them. the fact that slavery only existed in the south starting from 1704, the north abolished slavery and slavery was defeated with the south. existed in the united states like we know it today. i love america like my mother and kids. and god bless donald trump. he has done more for black people in this country than any other president before him. host: before you go, i cannot ask you, when and why did you join the marines? caller: i joined the marine corps because i wanted to serve my country and wanted to know what our country was really about. i figured the only way to really know was to join the service and be a part of it. meoved it, and it's made

understand our freedoms are not free. we can't continue. we have the greatest constitution, unique throughout the whole world. that is why america is great, and no one seems to understand that. up and work. people come here from third world countries who have never seen america freedom. thank you. host: that is terrence out of honolulu. a few messages from our text messaging service. david from akron says i'm proud to be an american when we practice our noblest american ideals. the best way we can love our country is to fight to make it better, not simply make it great proclaim itimply is great. the next says i am proud to be an american. the last time i was proud was

when we elected obama. from keith in new york, i'm extremely proud to be an american, especially after the celebration at mount rushmore. and another one about the celebration at mount rushmore, they said we should have delight and joy. time thatsobering makes us contemplate who we are and why we want to keep our democracy. that is lynn in massachusetts. john is in georgia, good morning. you are next. caller: good morning. how are you, john? host: i'm doing well. caller: my name is john also, and i appreciate your time, the time for me. i'm very proud to be an american. very proud. let me get this straight right military,a retired

vietnam veteran. i'm over 70 years old. i was born and raised in mississippi on a farm. my mom and dad -- if my mom and dad were living now, they would be 103 years old. they were born in 1917. there were seven of us, five guys -- five brothers -- five guys in two sisters. -- and two sisters. in aboutese calls come black lives matter's and all of this stuff, you know, i don't believe in race. i'm going to say that again. i don't believe in race. i am made in the image of god. me that everyes person on the face of the earth is made in the image of god. i challenge anybody, anybody, to

show me one scripture in the race onere god made any the face of the earth. god deals in mortars, nations, and individuals. --ividuals, nations, and always has and always will. brown.or of my skin is men came up with this thing of race. people say i'm from the black race. and all this kind of garbage. ok? i don't have a problem with that because man said that. host: that is john in georgia. this is done in sacramento, california. good morning. caller: good morning, john.

i wanted to say i am proud to be i watched thend president's speech and celebration at mount rushmore, and it didn't ge leave me with a good feeling after his speech. it soured me. he's not inclusive. when he says americans, i don't believe he is speaking to all americans. later in the evening, i watched disney plus's showing of hamilton. i just want to give a shout out to disney for doing that during this weekend, allowing people to be able to see that film, because it gave me an historical perspective that i appreciated into the fourth of july. it was entertaining, and it made

me want to own more of the american history, far greater than what i got out of the president's speech. i have other reasons to be proud. my father is a veteran of several wars, and our family history goes back -- we have traced it back to having the soldiers that fought and colored troops in the confederate -- not confederate but during the civil war. -- i'm proudmily to be an american for all kinds of reasons. but i wanted to note the contrast between listening to the president and watching hamilton. [laughter] that's what made me more proud. host: thanks for the call from sacramento, california. more from the president from mount rushmore last night. among the things that president discussed in his address, some of the current events taking place in this country right now. 1776 represented

the culmination of thousands of years of western civilization and the triumph of not only spirits but of wisdom, philosophy, and reason. and yet, as we are here tonight, there is a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for. secure.d, they bled to our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children. [booing] angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities.

many of these people have no idea why they are doing this, but some know exactly what they are doing. they think the american people are weak. and soft. and submissive. [crowd screaming] but the american people are strong and proud. [cheering] and they will not allow our country with all of its values, history, and culture to be taken from them. [applause] [crowd chanting "usa"] one of their political weapons is cancel culture, driving

people from their jobs, shaming and amending total submission from anyone who disagrees. this is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and values, and it has absolutely no place in the united. host: president trump last night at mount rushmore. if you want to watch that in its entirety, you can do so on our website at c-span.org. in the president's celebration of independence day continues tonight. c-span coverage begins its coverage of the president's salute to america's celebration p.m.5 time -- 6:45 you can listen to that on the free c-span radio app as well. john is next out of new york whether we continue with this

conversation if you are proud to be an american. john, good morning. caller: you couldn't have given me a better segway. 1619 by all accounts is when slavery arrived to us as a british colony then. we were a british colony. we went on to july 4, when we won our independence, 1860 is when the south succeeds to the union. they elect jefferson davis president. theirenounced citizenship and form the confederate states. >> muellertil report -- wasasn't until 76 that it -- so i'm not proud to be an american. perpetrating that this is a heritage. we were under british rule when slavery came. why are there no statues of king george the third? there was one in new york that

it was taken down in 2006 without a word. for someone to come on and perpetrate this fraud as a heritage, it's not. we weren't even the states then. we were a colony a british when we won our independence. there's only three ways to be an american, you are indigenous, you derived from immigration, or slavery. it seems number two has a problem with everybody, including number twos. that's why i'm not proud to be an american. the people that say i served in the armed forces, we fought to liberate the world in 1935. back home, we had colored water fountains. everyone that's proud, i don't get it. host: a question that gets asked this time of year in polling is, are we the greatest country in the world or are we still the greatest country in the world?

do you think we have ever been the greatest country in the world? caller: nonstatistical wise. if you look at the rally point, it is fictitious. make america great again. i told my friends, tell me what time period you are talking about that america was great and you want to return that. they don't have an answer. they just have a slogan. thekeep it great with coronavirus, unemployment, and these things? so this is an example of keeping it great? but you can't even define the first period of time when it was great again that you want to go back to, so it's like ricardo with fine corinthian lover -- leather. it never existed. host: jeff is in west pittsburgh, california. the, you are next. caller: good morning, -- good morning. you are next.

caller: good morning, america. i'm proud of america, but i'm not proud of everything of america. the 45th president of the united i'm definitely ashamed of. it's like watching a really bad movie, what he's doing. everyone in the cabinet is anti-cabinet. anti-their department. they fought against their department. they are all corrupt. he did not drain the swamp, he filled the swamp up with the most swampy of the swamp creatures. i love all of the good things we have done. we have gone around the world, saved people, saved countries. we have done a lot of good things. i was a union man, and we did a lot of good things. fighting against the unions, there is barely any unions left,

and they are coming out with ai, so they will try to put a whole lot of people out of work. if you think were out of work now, we might as well get used to it, because they have trucks driving around the country, computer trucks. they have a man on the clock, but eventually, he will be off of the clock. he will be home looking for a job. , and goodamerica night. been showingrning, you members of congress throughout the week sharing their thoughts on independence day, and what freedoms and independence means in this country. here are tweets including from senator ted cruz of texas, tweeting yesterday, this weekend, we celebrate the birth of our nation and if the vendor's. throughout the history -- and the gift of independence. here in america, freedom has been delivered to every man, and

child. a tweet from congressman, a republican from florida, we are blessed live in the greatest country in the world and that is something i will never get as long as we live. we must not allow patriotism to victim of cancel culture. was bornays america out of an active resistance. as we celebrate independence day, i can think nothing more patriotic than those who have spoken truth to power and those in the streets the past few months. one more tweet from a democratic senator, jack reed, saying we will miss the fourth of july parade and picnics, but we can still celebrate america and show our patriotism. hand over your heart, a mask out in public, and the declaration of independence all shows love for the united states of

america. in congress the past couple days, one member had spoken recently from his new conference -- news conference on capitol hill, kevin mccarthy, they republican leader in the house. >> when we look at the world today, we watched china, a land far away, change the entire world by a lie of what was going on with covid. thousands of people have now died. in this process, other countries are dealing with covid, what has happened? we watched them break their word one more time. when they signed a treaty of how hong kong would be governed in the middle of this. when july 1 comes, the world will be different for those in hong kong the freedom will be small or less -- smaller or less. as millions of people in hong kong would stand out in the rain to crave the idea of america, a

freedom that has now ended. so when we sit in this fourth of july, and yes it will be different from those of the past, we will not be as close, we will not have as many family gathered with us, but the same spirit of who we are will be tested and stronger. america is more than a country. we are an idea. any country that wants to challenge us on that have found what others have in the past, they will lose. freedom is stronger than what they believe in. reportwill stand for any of somebody going after our servicemen and women with any bounty. host: congressman kevin mccarthy this week on capitol hill we are talking on the "washington journal" about this question, are you proud to be an american. stemming from a poll last month, but plenty of polls about america's feelings about being a

citizen in this country. in the washington post, robert samual sin collect say -- of --son collect a list 74% of respondents said the nation was on the wrong track. a new cbs news poll at 67% when it comes to happiness. the share saying they are happy 14%, expressing unhappiness. the highest record of unhappiness since 1972. just over 60% are pretty happy on race relations. though they are in flux, they may be stronger than you think. according to a survey poll just taken says 35% of americans

think race relations are generally good, down from the 66% during the obama presidency, but near 41% recorded in 1990. one more on the economy collapsing, the university of michigan's index on consumer sentiment experiencing the largest drop in its history. the post in washington post wrapping up those statistic. robert is next in washington, d.c. good morning and are you proud to be an american? caller: i am. i'm a second-generation immigrant. my grandparents came over in the 1920's in a boat. i think this is the greatest country. we are not perfect, but there are many indicators, the largest middle-class in the history of the world. you can go on and on. 16 slaves became millionaires i

think right after. just in economic opportunities that america present that no other countries in the history of the world has is a great blessing to us. america is an experiment. it's not perfect. we have things to work on and fix, and it is slowly getting better. i think republicans and trump believe if we continue to hold the constitution true and try to make the constitution work for everybody, then the country will be great for everyone. we are focused on individuals, not groups. we can make america, the constitution, be true for everyone it is supposed to be, then we can focus on making it for individuals, and all the groups will be happy. democrats focus on groups, blacks, gay, latino, so on. that divides everyone.

individuals, no matter what group they are from, every individual has the same rights, then we will all be happy. blacks should stop thinking themselves as black first. give yourself as individual first. think of yourself as john, or jamaal, or whoever your name is first. you will be much better off. host: that is robert in north carolina. this is don in sacramento, california. caller: good morning. first of all, i am not lack. i hebrew israelite. i made you tight -- i am a judite. america used to be a place that i could be proud of. the last three years, i don't recognize this as america

anymore, because it doesn't seem like our president is running this country. it is ran by a foreign entity such as putin, and i don't know why all of you black people is trying to get with this man because he's definitely not talking to you. he's talking to white people, and he is dividing us to conquer, just like alexander the great. host: you said you were proud of america back when barack obama was president? where you proud of america when george w. bush was president? caller: then it looked like people were trying to act like they cared about people. but these republicans, they are the only ones that don't get it. they are the ones that want to everybodye power over and nobody is as good as them. the country will never get right until these white folks start

get to thinking, you know think they are people like everyone else. host: this is timothy in fayetteville, north carolina. you are next. caller: hello. i am a veteran, and i have been watching the networks and leadership. and how can any white american think donald trump is doing all of this for the black people? when he cannot condemn the kkk as a hate group in america, we are hurt as a people. in the united states of america, if anyone things otherwise, you are ignorant. i was proud to be american. i risked my life for this country. out myack man, i walked door this morning, and a brother or sister who is a white american can shoot down, or my

daughter, or my children, or my grandchildren. and i got partners who served for 30 years. how does it sound to those serving america? everybody ain't white. we are all god's children. religion,t comes to there is only one god, and we need to honor the holy bible our constitution because we will all be judged by god. host: you said you used to be proud about being an american. what would it take for you to be proud again? caller: for all of us to open up their holy bible and understand that we are all god's children. and we should be treated that way. how can anyone be a fool after we have seen --

what is wrong with you, white people? int: this is patricia frisco, california. caller: good morning. my name is patty. theew up in new york where arsenal stands. i would like to say that i have american,ed to be an to have been raised the way i was. the one thing i really want to put a cross -- put across is that i felt in the president's speech that he was saying don't be afraid to stand up and be thankful for how we got to where we are at by appreciating the founders of our wonderful, beautiful nation. and i wanted to thank c-span.

when i woke up this morning, to be able to see this speech completely and listen to it. because there was a lot of information in there. i would also like to say, the last time i was proud to be an american, besides today, the day i woke up, and i know i can do something about it by saying " i'm proud to be an american." i grew up near glens falls. airplanes from schenectady flying over every day. when i woke up early in the morning, i could hear revelry. at tonight, the arsenal play taps. -- played taps. those small appreciations when i went home and saw my uncle hanging in my hometown, because they appreciate your military. also, i would like to say that

independence day was just when we declared our independence. but think about all of the things we had to do to fight to have our independence, and things we have to do today just to have humility and acceptance. host: that is patty out of colorado. patty mentioned the president's speech at mount rushmore. if you missed it, you can watch it in its entirety at c-span.org . in that speech, the president talked about the creation of a new, national garden for american heroes. an executive order released yesterday to outline how that would work, and setting a target date for 2026 for that national the statues in the national garden to be completed. the national garden would be filled with "historically significant americans," and the

executive order defining what that term means, saying a historically significant american is in the visual who was or became an american citizen that made contributions to america's public life or had an effect on american's history. it also includes public years such as christopher columbus and others who lived prior to or during the american revolution and were not american citizens but made historical discovery,ns to the development, or independence of the future united states. the president also laying out a few names that should be included in that national guard just to run a few of them for you, john adams susan b anthony, joshua lawrence chamberlain, davey crockett, frederick douglass, amelia earhart, billy graham, alexander hamilton,

martin luther king jr., abraham lincoln, don madison, james madison, george patent, ronald reagan, betsy ross, harriet beecher stowe, harriet tubman, booker t. washington, george washington, and orval and wilbur wright are all named specifically in the executive order released by the white house yesterday. we have your phone calls coming up at 9:00 a.m. eastern as we continue with this question, are you proud to be an american? jim in west virginia, good morning. caller: good morning. man.a white we are all human beings, and we are all americans. [inaudible]

i was in the korean war and i'm real proud to be an american. but this guy running america is a con artist. anyone that cannot recognize a con artist has a real problem with their head. they need to get it investigated or something. for one thing, he is just -- he has been a whatever, i don't know what to call him. he was a woman beater. divorce, his first wife in the 1970's -- host: you clearly won't be voting for the president in the fall but will you be voting for joe biden? caller: yes, i am going to vote

for joe biden. host: do you think he will win? caller: i hope so. man, retired and have not much money to live on, but i put a little money into that campaign, so maybe he can win. we get the senate back on do democratic side so we can something if he happens to get in there again. host: president trump has not tweeted since late last night after that event at mount rushmore. the president, returning back to the white house early this morning. though he has not tweeted, some action out of the white house this morning, c-span's capitol

hill producer, noting a few minutes ago that the legislation extending the paycheck protection program through august 8 was signed into law by the president that was released by the white house this morning. the covid-19 small business extension, unanimously passed the house and senate earlier this week. in virginia. you are next. good morning. caller: good morning. i'm proud to be an american because we are the greatest country in the world. that is why people come from every other country to ours, because we are the land of opportunity and have always been made up of people from every ethnic background, every skin color. if you work hard, you can succeed. that is why i can't believe how brainwashed these socialist are. we have the best economy in america's history, the lowest on the amount -- the lowest

unemployment for african americans, latino americans, asian americans. he took us nothing to being the greatest again. now, you can thank the socialists for the covid-19, which they probably gave us on purpose to destroy our economy and country, because the socialists like nothing better than to destroy democracy and freedom. host: that's joseph from virginia. gary is in somerset, kentucky. good morning. caller: good morning. i want to remind everybody, there were two wars, equal rights, and you pretty much name it, the only time we saw major changes in this country is when people got out of their seats, in the streets, and went to marches. i'm sure there's a lot of people the ancestors that marched day we are celebrating. i'm sure there's a lot of women out there who's grandmothers and

great-grandmothers marched on washington in the 1930's to give them the right abode. there's a little history reminder about -- the right to vote. there's a little history reminder. host: any marches in kentucky, out there? we lost him. anne is in maryland. good morning. caller: i am also proud to be an american. people that don't believe in the ideas of america, the land of opportunity, i came from a lower-class family, economically. all of my brothers and sisters have been extremely successful because our parents taught us to work hard. they said don't lie, don't cheat, and don't steal. if you want something, get off of your bomb and go work for it -- bum and go work for it. no one will hand this to you on

a silver platter. you don't deserve things because you are live and breathing. you need to provide for your family. for the anti-americans, if you don't like this country, leave. we will pay for your ticket out of here because we don't need traders in our own country. there are plenty of socialist and communist countries you can live in. pay for their ticket, get them out of here, and have them renounce their citizenship. there is no utopia. is in silver spring, maryland. good morning. caller: i'm proud to be an american and republican. party'she democratic legacy is slavery, racism, segregation, lynch mobs, and the kkk hoodlums. the latest hoodlums tearing up the streets and tearing down monuments, they are a disgrace

to the country area -- country. i like trump. he is trying to set up a ofereign base renaissance american industry and exceptionalism, and i'm for that. to do so.tinue thank you. host: coming up on 9:00 a.m. this morning. throughout our program, we have you alongging with your phone calls and tweets, some statements of members from congress heading into this independence day holiday, this july 4 weekend. several members sending out its and putting out their own videos , speaking about what july 4 means to them. among them, the democrat from new jersey's first district. this was his tweet yesterday. >> we are here on the steps of

the capital. you can see the dome behind me, which has been the symbol around the world of edom. we are celebrating july 4 coming up -- freedom. we are celebrating july 4 coming out. i remember how many times school trips would go to the fall. as a child, we did not understand it fully. after iack shortly represented the first district. stepping into that building, [inaudible] where democracy started. where they say every man is created equal. from those in the african-american community being targeted by racist police, to those who just want to love each and somehow that was not to something they could do, it

is freedom for all of us. as we reflect on this weekend, and how we got here as a nation, we say thank you to those who lay down their life so we can get here, but we also must recommit the freedoms we enjoy. everyone in this great nation is treated equally. be safe and enjoy your weekend. host: that is a congressman donald norcross outside of the capital this week. one more tweet, this one from a republican. his twitter video on the july 4 holiday. the republican congressman from mississippi. me torge you in joining say i'm proud to be an american. almost 250 years ago, a small group of colony declared independence from britain. after many hard-fought battles, our nation was born. over the course of history, we have overcome great challenges,

both mastic and abroad. we have faced every downturn with dignity, and every victory with humility. as we look back over the course of our history, we have much to be proud of. but it is difficult to look past the last few months and the challenges our great country has been presented with. as we celebrate our nation's founding, we must remember every difficulty our nation has faced, we have overcome. this current time for our country will be no different. i encourage you to join me in remembering all of the freedoms and liberty we enjoy. knowing we will solve the issues facing our nation and to reflect on all of the blessings that make you proud to be an american. host: that is from his twitter feed. taking your phone calls as we head into our third hour of the washington journal this hour.

we are asking the question --are you proud to be an american? asking is in the wake of the recent gallup pole. record lows in pride from the polls. of adults say they are proud to be an american. in 2001, 9% were not proud to be an american. are youre asking you -- proud to be an american? (202)748-8000 in the eastern and central, (202)748-8001 mountain

and pacific time zones. ride from kentucky. good morning. you are on. morning -- caller: i am proud to be an american. we are lucky and blessed to be in american. on a day like this we should not tinge our thoughts with political things necessarily. the brotherhood of the american people is a bigger thing than any current political movement or movement -- political movement. i want to thank all of the women and men who have shed blood for me to be born an american. anyone born in america, you are

the luckiest person in the world . .e are blessed to be here host: at his bread in kentucky. this is donald in detroit, michigan. what do you think? are you proud to be an american? caller: i am proud to be an american. c-span, you are great. i watched your coverage of the speech from the president. there was no opining that you couldn't hear what was going on, so thank you for that. host: we will do it again tonight at the salute to america event here in washington, d.c. it begins at 6:45 p.m. eastern on c-span and c-span.org. you can also listen on the free c-span radio app. go-ahead, donald. caller: i am going to be

watching. i am proud to be an american. oak, -- i am from royal michigan. it is a small charter township on the outskirts of detroit. standpoint, itc is on the lowest end of the spectrum. up andble to work myself go into the military. like a lot of people, we didn't have a lot of money. i now work for the biggest produce producer. there are of course pockets of racism and i have experienced it throughout my life. i have to be a candidate, but the folks that help me the most have been white women. they have given me every opportunity in the world. they provided me with assistance when i needed it.

so experiencing this broad sense of racism, i cannot say i have. end, do you you want to name those folks and how they helped you? don't know if i want to name them, but it was my supervisor in the military. and when i was out of the military looking to get into the workforce, the individuals that interviewed me and put me in the position to be successful just happened to be women. votedn a position where i for barack obama and was enthusiastic to do so and also voted for donald trump. i have never seen a president treated the way this man has been treated. there is no positive coverage. all you hear is negative. all he does is try to do the best for this country. he tried to do criminal justice

reform. the economy, the greatest economy we've had in the history of this country. and you know what people will say it, because i have these conversations with my family and they said it started with the obama administration. everything is dismissed. i've never seen anything like it before in my life. host: are you going to vote for him again in november? caller: i will be voting for dr. -- president trump and will be happy to do so. again, i voted for barack obama. i did not vote for hillary clinton. you guys need to get better candidates. the message hed is sending about the economy, i am for it. i am not offended by the tweets and the rhetoric. he is a strong, tough guy who reminds the of my uncle. william in jefferson

township, pennsylvania. c-span i want to thank for the opportunity to express my opinion. you're doing a great job, c-span. host: thank you. caller: i am proud to be an american. the holiday that we celebrate today is independence day. it just happens to be on the fourth of july. i understand white people say they -- why people say they celebrate the fourth of july. independence day, every year, i read the declaration of independence. i don't shoot off fireworks. colors turnt your everything into a political football. the holiday and stop fighting over who is the better candidate and party.

let's unite and get together. it takes effort, but we have to get together as a country. why do you read the part shouldand what people read? caller: it shows the philosophy this government was founded on, that all men are created equal. and the purpose of government and shows us the reason we separated because we separated from our mother country. it shows us why we are here and white we, as a nation, have been formed and what we are all about. if you read it and can understand it, then you will be proud to be an american. i read it and get more out of it every time. every time i read it, i get more out of it. it is a work of genius, the people who founded this country. host: in thing from fresno,

california. you are next. caller: my name is anthony. i am hispanic american. i am proud to be an american, based on the fact that i recently got released from prison and i was able to obtain a job. thank you, president trump. host: what kind of job did you get, anthony? caller: irs. host: how long were you in prison for? caller: 10 years. that is anthony in california. joanne is in california as well. good morning. caller: yes, i celebrate the fourth of july. i live in a southern town in southern california. march four i guess they

call it black lives better, -- matter, but in our town, ruin was together and there was no black to it. there was life matters. everyone got together and had picnics. we social distanced at the park. at the end, everybody had a bite to eat. it was really nice and i was really proud to be an american. i have been to 18 other countries in my life. theye seen firsthand, and are expressly nice to americans, but nonetheless, i saw firsthand what was going on in their countries and i know what is going on in my country. even when we don't agree, we listen to each other and wait

support each other. that is america. of friends that are other nationalities. my mother is american indian and my father is from ireland. i am first generation born here from ireland for my father. i love it in america. we have so many freedoms that other countries wouldn't even think about. host: how well are we doing at listening to each other today versus the past? caller: i think it is about time . i was raised in a household that was absolutely against any kind of bigotry. so we learned at a very young age. . am freckled i have eight brothers who all the click american indians. so when i was little they would

all look like american indians. so when i was little, they would never make me feel like i didn't belong. host: mitchell out of hollywood, florida. good morning. you are next. caller: i am proud to be an american. i am proud for the reason that the earth is the lord's. we are they that dwell within. god is everything and everything belongs to him. that is why i am proud to be an american, for the simple reason that you reap what you sow. how could the middle-class realize that they are being cheated and still think that they are going to be dealt with fairly when you don't see any way out. you see they are taking from

them, the $600 for the unemployment. in florida, there are so many that are not receiving and will not receive, about 37%. the thing about it is, you have a way out, but god is showing us through these various calamities , we are reaping what we so host:. ow.se host: henry north carolina says i am proud to be in american. south carolina, i propose we drop all reference to race in government documents and conversation is the first big step to end racial division. indiana, proud american, but not proud of any part of my government. this from dell from florida, i

would say i am grateful to live here. look how any people want to get in here. , oure are not perfect constitution guarantees that we are free and therefore can continually improve. next in west virginia is eerie good morning. caller: -- is next. good morning. caller: i am proud to be an american. i am 69 years old and i worked 40 years in the steel mill and it gave me a good job and a good pension. it took everything we did to get where we got. we are the best nation in the world. we have the most freedoms. some roughn through times. those who were tearing down statues, that is not helping.

it is only causing more division. host: did you get a chance to watch the president in mount rushmore? caller: i watched some. but i am old. i like to sleep. i wish they wouldn't have drugged it on. this is the greatest country in the nation. , from the boston tea party to the vietnam war, to iraq. we do what we do because we are who we are. people?r prejudice yes, there are, but at least we tried in america. host: harry in west virginia. if you went to bed before the president's speech, here is a little from last night on the reasons why he is proud and

americans should be proud to live in this country. pres. trump: we gather tonight for the most important day in the history of nations, july 4, 1776. at those words, every american heart should swell with pride. every american family should share with delight, and every american patriot should be filled with joy. mostof you lives in the magnificent country in the history of the world, and it will soon be greater than ever before. applause]d our founders launched not only a revolution in government, but a revolution in the pursuit of justice, equality, liberty, and prosperity. no nation has done more to

advance the condition than the united states of america. no people have done more to promote human progress and the citizens of our great nation. [cheers and applause] it was all made possible by the courage of 56 patriots who gathered in philadelphia 244 years ago and signed the declaration of independence. applause]d they enshrined a divine truth that changed the world forever when they said "all men are created equal." inse were mortal words said motion, the unstoppable march of freedom. our founders boldly declared that we are all endowed with the same divine rights given us by

our creator in heaven, and that which god has given us, we will allow no one, ever, to take away, ever. host: that was the president last night. he was at mount rushmore with a salute plan for tonight to america. coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. eastern. comments,e of those u.s. national pride has fallen to record lows we are asking you whether you are proud to be an american. poll gaugedtoday opinions that americans have about living in this country. one of the questions they ask whether respondents think america is the greatest country in the world. some 32% saying the united states is the greatest country in the world, 28% saying it is one of the greatest, 12% said

the united states was an average country, when he first said it had fallen behind the other major countries of the world, 3% said it was one of the worst countries in the world. breaking down those results, almost nine of 10 voters, 87%, said the united states was the greatest are one of the greatest countries in the world. 59%, said iters, was average, had fallen behind, or one of the worst. whiteman -- white americans were saying.n what americans african-americans were more likely than white to say that the country had fallen behind. getting your thoughts and your ls andse to those pol this question --are you proud to be an american? david, you are next. caller: i am very proud to be an

american. i was born in 1959, and i have seen all of the incredible changes. i was young and witnessed all the violence and change. good things happened in the 1960's. i lived in the 19 -- in west virginia. we had great teachers. teacher taught us all history, black history, white history, and this is third grade. be brighter people. as usual, euros have strife within and i understand. i thought the statues should have been -- you always have

strife within and i understand. i thought the statue should have been removed. when i came down here, i thought they were threatening. but i understand they are historical values. a lot of those were relatives there and they had heritage there and though they don't want to admit it, it hurts them, because these were their road case he fought and died in this war. host: president trump wants to create a national guard of american heroes. who are a couple people you would put their statues in the garden? caller: martin luther king. dwight eisenhower. kennedy. i would also like to see ronald reagan in their, because i thought he was a good president.

he was a leader. as much as people were against him, people respected him. host: you mentioned white eisenhower, set to have -- dwight eisenhower, set to have the next monument memorial was supposed to open back on memorial day weekend and has been expected to open sometime this fall. a new monument here in washington, d.c., not far from our studio on capitol hill. francis is in california. you are next. good morning. caller: good morning. i am a new american. i wasn't born in america. i am from england 50 years ago.

i am in a house that i built with my wife and raised four children. it. very happy about i had six siblings and none of have.ccomplished what we , built this house myself because i was trained to be a carpenter. i am very proud about it. i am very privileged. i have been supporting mr. trump from the start. friend who told me some time ago that when he went to , mr. trump befriended him and took him around tonight

places that he wouldn't have -- tto -- around 10 nice o nice places that he would not want to. he knows mr. trump better than most people in america. i supported mr. trump during his campaign. i am telling you, this man is a genius anyway you look at it. mr. trump is an absolute genius and kind. mr. trump -- out ofhis is donna verona, pennsylvania.

caller: i have been trying to get on your show for a while now. i actually am proud to be american. if this country wasn't like it over and trump took country, you this wanted to make america white again. it saddens me how everybody that got this racism knows what donald trump is trying to do, because he wants to make america white again. it is not going to happen. but people work hard. i have worked hard at the biggest hospital my whole life. i watch white people got away with hardly not doing work, telling the boss, i don't know.

on leave and went had to have surgery, i boss pulled me in the office, two of the biggest cons of the biggest -- two of the biggest accounts of the biggest hospitals and i told her i don't want to and she said you have to. and i said she is going to be a man when she gets back. and she said this is what you have to do. don't tell me but people don't work hard, we work trouble. and i want to talk about hate. if the country was still all white, you would hate. host: that is done out of pennsylvania. our text messaging service, including dave in charleston saying the country is us. if you not proud of the usa or if you are, what are you going to do to improve things?

steve from texas says i proud american. i wanted to as coming locks were free in 1776. from pennsylvania, i am not proud and have been proud for decades. how can i be proud of a country -- fuels.fossil feels oil wars continue and both parties are complicit. that is jackie's comment via text. it is coming up on 9:30 on the east coast. we ask --are you proud to be an american? we have been showing you some of the op-ed that have been dealing paper andtopic in the news websites. one more to show you from doug, who c-span viewers is the

president and ceo of mount vernon and has appeared on this program frequently, including recently as part of our cm -- our museum tour. this is his column from cnn at the end of last month that came out on monday morning. he wrote, the founding generation did not make a perfect country. in many ways they failed to live up to the powerful vision of liberty. nevertheless, they gave us their funding aspirations and institutional inheritance that we still rely on to solve our problems. we can be part of it. it is not the founders who are responsible to our failures. our shared values of equality drive our frustrations was in society today, but these are our values and we should be proud to celebrate them. so have a cookout, slid the

promise of america, and all those who have fought and lived for and be proud to recognize that we, the people, control the meaning of equality and popular rule in our future, which is our inheritance in our great trust. the ceo and president of mount vernon in his column. jersey, goodw morning. all, i want tof say i am very proud to be american. back to theamily early part of the 1700s. we have been here for many generations. and to not be proud as an american with all of the blood and killing and suffering of my ancestors who built this country would go in vain. i take advantage and read the

constitution with my children at the fourth of july cookout. it is a very important thing. we need to understand that there are people who have not been here for that many generations and they areations going to have a different aspect . i don't want to say hatred, but they will look at our country differently. some negativel me term, but i trace fema members back who fought in the war on myh sides, -- but i trace family members back who fought in the war on both sides. a caller who said he reads the declaration of

independence every fourth of july you read the constitution, do you have a favorite part? caller: the 13th amendment. host: tell us why. caller: it talks about freedom. next.is caller: thank you for taking my call. i answer the question, am proud to be an american? we have to realize there is still a confederate flag flying over i-95 and people who are dismissive of the fact that led people are killed at a high rate by police officer's and go about their day. we have to remember that the 13th amendment that said nothing about those in texas who weren't freed until later. people whoremember willfully put on blinders to ignore the suffering of people who are on the others, this has

nothing to do with god, donald trump, is people's individual choices to put on blinders and refuse to acknowledge what is going on in this country. this country was not founded for black people but was built by black people. there are a lot of people who say if you don't like america, you can go somewhere else, but we aren't into you pate what is due. madecountry was due by -- by black people and other minorities. every since we started on this continent, there has been pain. our blood is in the soil. a lot of people want to imagine that our president is so great because they made this country better racism didn't begin with him and won't end. host: you said pay what is due, are you talking about reparations? caller: there is no way we can

get reparations. it would be in the trillions of dollars. america is not even willing to give us a check for what is due. what is due is freedom and be glad we aren't asking for anything other than being treated fairly. that say black people don't work hard, i am in a highly regarded position and i had to work 3:04's harder than my counterparts -- three or four times harder than my counterparts. i'm not saying reparations. you need people to of knowledge that when we say black lives matter, we are not saying everyone else doesn't matter. we are saying that we are getting killed in the streets. host: what line of work are you in? caller: i work in i.t..

host: sean is next out of california. good morning. i love america. one think -- one thing i think people need to do is take responsibility for what we call our local neighborhoods in serving our communities. i get mad when i hear people say we are more racist today than we rightsck in the civil act. when you say that half of america is totally racist and absolutely out of control, you're saying that all things work for until this point, artan martin luther king,

you are trying to tell me it failed? where did we go wrong? live in thek we greatest country in the world, where if summit it wants something, they can get up and get it. it just takes resilience, no excuses. in my life, when i lost my excuses, i found my result. host: we are continuing to take your phone calls as we hear from you on this question -- are you proud to be an american. the phone lines are split up regionally. if you're in the eastern or central time zones, (202)748-8000. if you are in the mountain or pacific time zones, (202)748-8001. joe is in georgia. good morning. caller: i love c-span. i have been calling your network

for 50 years. i want to say i have never been so fired up. i love america and i love donald trump. i am teaching a leadership class to young people. let me tell you how he won a landslide win. kennedy has 16 million viewers. hannity has 16 million viewers. each one gets about, i think talk radio shows will give donald john trump the biggest landslide victory. the besthe -- he is leader in the world. host: let me ask you about the leadership class. who are you teaching it to and what do you focus on? caller: these are outstanding young people. five wants to be president come one wants to be a u.s. senator. i am teaching them to be

positive and encourage other people and love all people, kindness, love. we are teaching them to study voting records, not what they say, but how they vote. i would love to invite you to come down and speak to my class. this are the finest young men and women. my first class was last saturday. if you want to feel good about the future of america, you come down and meet my leadership class. i get so fired up. i'm so fired up i have been trouble sleeping the last two weeks because they are so great. i want to invite you and steve to come down and meet the great young leaders i have. they are outstanding. they love america and are trying to improve themselves each day. host: i know a little bit about your class, because you send the

newsletter that you have. i think in your last newsletter you noted the loss of a friend who was the owner. i wanted to pass my condolences along for that. caller: he was a great die. he died about two weeks ago. right before the first class. he is a great american peer he started with nothing and became a world-famous barbecue and we are dedicating the leadership to a great american who was also a preacher. he loved everybody. we believe in loving everybody of all race. and al vida king are going to do a book signing at the barbecue. you might want to interview them.

it will be a best-selling book. y'all do a great job at c-span. thank god for you and steve and all of the wonderful people at c-span. you are doing an incredible job. host: i per shape the call. this is larry out of pennsylvania -- i appreciate the call. i -- this is larry out of pennsylvania. caller: here is the question -- white people won't accept the fact that they are privileged. say, the blacks, they, those people. that tells me at the beginning you are a racist. for certain other people calling in -- i love america, but let me just say this. know what you do and who you

represent. --are youme ask you proud to be an american? that is the question we are asking. caller: i am proud to be an american, but am i sorry and am i hurt. you say to us, quit doing this and quit doing that. i will give you an example. grocery store in line with a mask and this lady in front of me at a three years three-year-old and she was buying candy and i love kids and i always want to buy candy. i said i would get to her -- i will get it to her.

people tell me i need to get over it. and i thought, you taught a three-year-old to say some craft like that, and they say quit pulling the bandages off of the wounds. unless you take out the root, it is going to keep on happening. america,ar that i love and i was nine years old the first time a gun got put in my face. host: net is larry in pennsylvania. randall nash that is larry in pennsylvania. is larry inhat pennsylvania.

randall is next. caller: our country is a shining star throughout the world. bless donald trump and god bless your show. to andover, new york next. caller: good morning. host: go ahead. caller: i am proud with her? . the president invites his supporters -- i am a proud american a? question mark. the president is inviting all of sit next to him in to each other and they are threatening the indian people. salute in the

is promising one of the biggest fireworks displays in history. what do you think about that? the mayor has been very and to never become into the grocery store has to wear a mask, because the grocery store people are working there all day long. the american people should consider the current pandemic and huge amount of virus in the air and they should listen to the scientists.

and trump doesn't do that. that is a real problem. a story in notes that it is the trump administration that controls the property on the national mall which is putting on the celebration to celebrate america. when it comes to independence day in the age of coronavirus, here is a little bit from the briefing earlier this week with the governor of arizona and also the health services director with her advice on how to celebrate independence day amid the pandemic. >> and then we will be updating guidance for independence day. we know a lot of people like to get together for the fourth of july and celebrate. weekend,re asking this when you celebrate with your immediate household or daily

contact, don't expand that and have large groups at your home and out in public. we need to protect our most vulnerable family members and friends. if you have grandparents of those high risk, it may be time to engage them through facetime or other chat messages. if you do have people over, try tuesday outside as much as to stay, stay -- try outside as much as possible, stay hydrated and wear a face mask. host: the director of the health services at the governor briefing. that is in arizona. arizona is one of the hotspots made the pandemic. time for a few more calls. a question we have been asking all morning --are you proud to be an american? in houston, texas. good morning. caller: thank you c-span and thank you for being on the radio. here is my comment, we live in a

country where you are free to choose to live where you want to live and to apply for work where you want to. you are free to move around this country at any given moment. the second point, parenting. we have lost focus on the need .f a family centric country we all know the demographics of the single moms out there. that needs to stop and something needs to happen in element in junior high and teaching civil liberties and talking about family units and all of those things. somehow we have lost focus on , they centric traditions whole generation coming up without any items. disobedience and a civil manner. get out there and civilly

protest. there's so much that needs to be corrected, and it starts in the home. you had a person call from california. he sounded like a very upset gentleman who had gotten out of prison and had been there two years and got a job at the irs and was trying to tell his story and he broke down and started crying and made me come to tears . it sounded like a good story. i am sure you have his phone number. give him a call back and let him tell his story. this is stephanie in west virginia. born in country. american because this is all i know. i was born and raised in this country and i don't know anything else.

that i think our country needs to get back to god. we need to pray. one other thing, i think we need to go back in the original americans were the american indians, and they are the most mistreated people. some don't even have running water to the home. how come the senators and congressmen are not making sure they have running water to every home on the reservations? that is a tragedy. until we do right by the american indians, our country will not continue to be blessed. god blesses our country and he has blessed us because we made him number one. in god we trust is in our money. let's truly mean it and walk in love like god of the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes shall not perish -- and believes in him

shall not perish. host: mike in modesto, california. good morning. caller: the fellow from texas, these people always imply the problem with the home structure in the african-american it is because of a character defect and that's how those people are. you have to understand what our culture has done to these people weather weren't allowed to get homes after world war ii. the biggest thing i wanted to people mixing the parties in history, like the republicans taking credit for ending slavery in the big one is where they like to go with, it is the democrats that did all the jim crow and lynching. dixiecr knows they were ats.

allan, show the comments of of the prominent republicans before trump got the nomination and what they think about him nosehat is the got their dirty for him when they got in power. host: connie in new hampshire. good morning. this is new mexico, not new hampshire. host: sorry about that, go ahead. caller: that is ok. i am very glad to be an american. i had ancestors that fought on both sides of the confederacy. lost everything they had. oneslaves were the only on because they got their freedom. we should follow god. he has blessed us from the

beginning. on racism, to me, it does not color of the skin, it is the arrogance, attitude, hatred, hypocrisy, lack of respect, no kindness, no love whoever that comes from. that is guilty of racism. you can find in america what you are looking for and you need to treat others like you want to be treated. if you have leadership that tells you all the time that you are not as good as everybody else, you will go out and find it. that is all you will look for and all you will find. a few minutes left in the program. prideg about the issue of in america in the wake of a gallup poll from mid june that found national pride at all-time lows since gallup started measuring the idea of whether

they were proud to be in americans, back in 2001. now at a record low in terms of the number of people who said they were extremely or very proud to be americans. also showing you various clips and some of the statements of members of congress about independence day and july 4 and the meaning of independence in this country. one more from you from senator tim scott, republican of south carolina. he was the republican leader in the senate on the police reform bill that republicans tried to move and did not get enough support to actually vote on the bill. that is the bill republicans in the senate were behind and democrats had passed their own in the house. this is from his column from fox news from earlier this week. tim scott writing, "our nation

is one of resiliency and on the fourth of july, i encourage all americans to have hope, to reflect on how far we have come as a nation, and to believe we will move forward together. to believe the declaration of independence will ring true for all who live on american soil. this is democracy, freedom, hope in the corners of the world, the everyone wasared equal with inalienable rights. the citizens pulled their strength to fight in two world wars and will be a nation that overcomes today's challenges as well when we stand united." senator tim scott with his comments. james in washington, d.c. good morning. caller: i am proud to be an american. but there are issues we never addressed in the united states of america. going to adjust

until we get hundred percent real with what the issues are. lack of schools in the black communities, lack of jobs in the , alwaysmmunity incarcerating us, more time than the average individual or caucasian individuals. those issues,ssed what the previous person set about the home issue. the home issue is bad because they lock us up with and anybody. and then not even talking about the killing of black individuals , whether women or men. until we address the racism in this country, we will never move forward -- further. we will stay stagnant in the

situation we are in. that is all i have to say. host: rodney is in georgia good morning. caller: i am 100% proud to be an american. i am tired of the split standards. right, you are wrong. if you are left, you are always right. no one gives trump credit for all he has done for the african-american communities, and it is just wrong. everyone gives him crab. host: do you think we are more divided or moving in the right direction? caller: we will see here in a couple of months. i believe we are. i don't agree with all this tearing down of statues and all of this going on in the cities, writing and all that stuff. i see nothing wrong with a peaceful protest. rioting and all

that stuff. i see nothing wrong with the peaceful protest. so mad.le getting you are going to get coronavirus if you are rioting and in an autonomous zone. host: jeanette is next. hello. host: you are on the air. caller: i just wanted to tell you i am proud to be an american -- host: you have to turn down your television. why are you proud? caller: i was raised in born

here. the only thing i don't like is the virus. he is president trump and a great president. i enjoyed his speech and everything. i just wanted to let them know. host: do you think he is doing a good job leading the federal response to the coronavirus? caller: yes, he is here he is doing a wonderful job. betty out of charlotte, north carolina. good morning. caller: good morning. i just wanted to say i am proud to be an american. i was one of 11 children, and we were very poor growing up. i think a lot of times the problem is when people don't have much money when they are growing up, they get left behind. we couldn't afford to go to college. but we worked our own way.

we had to work when we were garden and we planted. children, we11 were taught to help each other. i think people -- we were brought up in a christian home also, and my mom and dad were right there with us all the time. were brought up as far as racism, there was none. my mother never taught us to mye or might daddy -- or daddy, or anyone. i think everyone should pray. god will heal our country. caller.r last i hope you join us tomorrow. we start every morning at 7:00

a.m. eastern. today, many of us here at c-span have been working from home these past couple of months. as we leave you today, we wanted to show you photos from behind the scenes from those of us here at c-span working from home and keeping c-span on the air. ♪ ♪

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>> president pump and of lady participate in a fourth of july celebration at the white house today. while coverage begins as 6:45 p.m. eastern on c-span, online ad c-span.org, or listen on the free c-span radio app. ♪ host: good morning. it is independence day in america. on the national mall and at the white house later today , president trump will headline a salute to america event flyover of the washington monument. ahead of those festivities, we are spending this morning asking viewers how you feel about this country right now?

are you proud to be an american? if you live in the eastern time zone, call (202) 748-8000. if you live in the pacific time zone, the number is (202) 748-8001. you can also send us a text this morning. that number (202) 748-8003. please include your name. us onn catch up with social media, it's better. -- social media, butter. -- --twitter, . a very good saturday morning to a very good saturday morning to you. you can start calling in now about this question. asking this question in the wake of a gallup poll last month that found u.s. national pride has fallen to record lows. from that poll, although a majority of adults in the u.s. say they are either extremely proud or very proud, these

readings are the lowest since gallup's initial poll back in 2001. 12% of americans say they are only a little proud. that poll was released june 15, 2020. if you want to read, more from that poll on the history of this question, the percentage of americans expressing extreme pride in this country has been declining over the past 20 years. just over half felt initial -- felt extreme pride in the initial rating prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 70% were extremely proud in the following years. by two thousand five, that fell to 61% and remained steady until 2015 when it dropped to 54%. the current reading is the sixth consecutive year that it has fallen into a new low in gallup's trend. now just 42%. that is the number from gallup. president trump last night