The leaders of Canada and the United States set aside their current political troubles this week to lead celebrations on their respective national days, July 1 and 4.
In a brief post on Instagram and X, Joe Biden said: “Happy Independence Day, America! May God bless you all. And may God protect our troops.”
Biden hosted families at the annual July 4 Independence Day festivities at the White House on Thursday, and was scheduled to be interviewed on ABC News on Friday, and travel to Wisconsin the same day for a campaign rally with supporters.
In his annual Canada Day address, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised the country for what he described as its commitment to pluralism, inclusion and fairness, while noting ongoing efforts to right past injustices and pursue reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. “Those are the values that hold us together as Canadians. It’s the reason so many people around the world save up everything they have and leave behind everything they know to be part of our story. It’s a story that includes injustices, ones that we are confronting on our shared path of reconciliation,” Trudeau said in the video.
There is increasing concern among Democrats about Joe Biden’s recent debate performance, raising doubts about his ability to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election. “He played straight into Democrats’ worst fears — that he’s fumbling away this election to Donald Trump,” noted Politico.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing searching questions about his political future after the ruling Liberal Party lost a safe seat in a special election on June 25. The next federal election must be held by October 2025 and a range of polls show the Liberals would lose badly to the Conservatives.