Even though Donald Trump got what he wanted on July 4th—a big PR event at the White House to celebrate his deeply unpopular bill—he still wasn’t happy. In fact, Trump seemed furious. Maybe it’s because he knows just how hated his bill is. Or maybe it’s because Barack Obama, the one person who really gets under his skin, trolled him publicly.
First, let’s talk about Trump’s new bill. It was passed and signed into law just hours before the July 4th event, and according to experts, it’s now one of the most unpopular pieces of legislation in modern history. Political scientist Christopher Warshaw found that only one bill has been more disliked since 1990—Trump’s failed 2017 attempt to repeal Obamacare. That says a lot.
The new bill is less popular than the 2008 bank bailout and the Affordable Care Act when they were passed. And the more people learn about it, the more they dislike it. Why? Because it cuts Medicaid, takes away SNAP benefits, and helps the rich while hurting working families. Hospitals will close, kids will go hungry, and millions will lose their health care.
Trump knows this. During his speech, he called it the “biggest bill of its kind ever done” and claimed people would soon see how popular it really is. But even in that speech, he slipped up—he almost said it was the most popular bill, then corrected himself. He knows the truth.
Then came Barack Obama. While Trump was busy patting himself on the back, Obama reminded everyone what July 4th is really about. In a post, he said, “Independence Day is a reminder that America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is we. We the people.”
Obama went on to talk about how democracy only works when people stay engaged, and that now’s the time to ask how we can make our government work better for everyone—not just the rich and powerful. It was a clear swipe at Trump, who was making the holiday all about himself.
Obama wasn’t alone. Former President George W. Bush also joined him in criticizing Trump’s decision to shut down USAID, a major global aid organization. Bush said it was a tragedy and slammed the decision to cut funding for AIDS relief programs. Even Republican leaders are growing uneasy.
Meanwhile, across the country, protests against Trump are growing. People are fed up with a president who acts more like a king. And then there’s Senator Lindsey Graham, who continues to blindly support Trump, even after voting for a bill that will harm millions of his own constituents. It’s embarrassing.
As if that wasn’t enough, Trump’s allies on TV are being called out for lying about the bill. Some try to defend it by saying the Medicaid cuts won’t happen right away. But that’s just kicking the can down the road. Others say it’s about stopping benefits for undocumented immigrants or lazy people, but that doesn’t explain the millions of children, seniors, and working families who are affected.
The truth is, this bill is a disaster. It creates more paperwork and red tape for people just trying to stay healthy. It punishes the poor to reward the rich. And it’s all being sold with spin and lies.
As Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez put it, this is one of the saddest days in modern American history. “Seventeen million Americans will lose their health care. Small business owners will see costs skyrocket. People will go hungry and get sick—all so billionaires can get a tax break.”
Now that the bill has passed, it’s time to fight back. Independent media will be calling out the lies, exposing the truth, and standing up for the people hurt most by this cruel legislation. Trump may be celebrating, but the people aren’t. And as Obama reminded us, the power still belongs to “we the people.”