FRANCE PERSPECTIVE

Paris, July 4, 2026. For France, the 250th anniversary of American independence carries particular resonance: it was Louis XVI who, on December 17, 1777, became the first head of state to officially recognize the young Republic, sealing a founding alliance that two and a half centuries have not erased. Paris approaches July 4, 2026, with singular historical perspective—that of a founding ally.

On the National Mall in Washington, Donald Trump celebrated this anniversary several hours late, after summer thunderstorms forced temporary evacuation of the esplanade amid temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius. Before tens of thousands, the 80-year-old president described the United States as 'the pinnacle of human history' and proclaimed himself 'prouder than ever.' Patriotic rhetoric was coupled with direct political attacks: Trump targeted his opponents by calling them 'communists,' reiterating a message delivered the previous day from Mount Rushmore, where he had denounced 'a resurgence of the communist threat on our soil.'

The commemoration occurs amid intense polarization. The president's approval rating is approaching its lowest historical levels, weighed down by war in Iran and the cost of living. Midterm elections loom in autumn, transforming this anniversary into a direct political issue. In counterpoint, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a naturalized citizen since 2018, delivered a speech celebrating a metropolis where more than 200 different languages are spoken—a vision of America radically opposed to that promoted by the White House.

The French angle on this anniversary is primarily historical. Every American political generation has reread the Declaration of Independence through its own preoccupations—Lincoln invoked it to abolish slavery, Roosevelt to combat totalitarianism, Reagan in the name of exceptionalism. Trump participates in this long tradition of symbolic appropriation, in an America where the very meaning of 1776 is now contested. The Netflix documentary series 'The American Experiment,' released for the anniversary, reminds us that the young Republic was also the product of foreign alliances: as early as 1775, France covertly supported the insurgents with weapons and ammunition, before concluding a formal alliance after the American victory at Saratoga in 1777.