As President Donald Trump encouraged Americans to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary by visiting the restored statue of a Founding Father who enslaved hundreds of people, hundreds of masked white supremacists marched through the streets of Washington, D.C., carrying American and Confederate flags.
The striking juxtaposition unfolded Saturday as the United States marked its 250th birthday, drawing sharp backlash online from critics who said the scenes reflected a troubling vision of patriotism under Trump’s second administration.
Videos circulating across social media showed members of Patriot Front, a white supremacist group founded after the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, marching through the nation’s capital in matching blue shirts, khaki pants and white face coverings.
The group reportedly brought about 400 members to Washington.
Counterprotesters shouted at the marchers as journalists documented the demonstration, which remained largely peaceful despite the tense atmosphere. One video showed Patriot Front members packing into a Washington Metro station before boarding a train alongside unsuspecting commuters.
The demonstrators carried both American and Confederate flags as they marched near Capitol Hill.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, Patriot Front advocates for the creation of an all-white ethnostate and promotes the belief that white Americans are entitled to the country because their ancestors conquered it.
Many social media users condemned the group’s appearance, accusing its members of using Independence Day celebrations to spread hate and intimidation.
“Racism is crazy to me b/c race is a surface-level genetic divide. Ppl are more genetically similar than they think,” one X user wrote. “2 white ppl could possibly be more genetically different than one of them to a black person, and vice versa. 1 of these dudes are probably more similar to a POC😂.”
“Don’t you just love tough guys that are loud and proud having to wear masks so their mummies don’t recognize them. Last months pride Parade’s had more balls,” another person added.
Trump Celebrates Return of Caesar Rodney Statue
The march came as Trump used Truth Social to urge Americans to visit a newly installed equestrian statue of Caesar Rodney at Freedom Plaza, where it serves as part of a temporary exhibition commemorating the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Rodney, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, rode roughly 80 miles through a thunderstorm from Dover, Delaware, to Philadelphia in July 1776 to cast the deciding vote for American independence.
The statue originally stood in Wilmington, Delaware, after officials installed it in 1923. However, city leaders removed it during the 2020 nationwide protests following the police killing of George Floyd, saying they wanted to have an “overdue discussion” about displaying historical figures connected to slavery during the country’s racial justice movement.
Trump has repeatedly criticized that decision.
“250 years ago, on the eve of America’s momentous vote for Independence, Caesar Rodney received word that he was urgently needed to break a deadlock among the Delegates to the Second Continental Congress,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He praised Rodney’s overnight ride despite suffering from asthma and facial cancer before encouraging supporters to visit the statue, writing, “Go and see!”
Rodney Owned Hundreds of Enslaved People
Rodney’s role in securing American independence has long been celebrated, but historians have also documented his ownership of enslaved people.
According to Dick Carter, chairman of Delaware’s Heritage Commission, Rodney inherited an 849-acre farm at age 17 that included as many as 200 enslaved people.
Rodney was not alone among the nation’s Founding Fathers. Historical records show that figures including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Benjamin Franklin also owned enslaved people at various points in their lives.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum spoke in front of the Rodney statue during the ceremonial reopening of Freedom Plaza on June 30.
The exhibit also includes the 23-foot Spirit of Liberty statue, bronze sculptures honoring Revolutionary War soldiers and the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, commemorating nearly 12,000 Americans who died aboard British prison ships during the Revolutionary War.
Trump Pushes Restoration of Monuments
Since returning to office, Trump has pledged to restore what he describes as “truth and sanity” to American history. His administration has rolled back federal references that describe the nation’s history as “inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed.”
The administration has also moved to reverse decisions that removed Confederate monuments and artwork from public display.
\n a 2020 proclamation, Trump blasted Wilmington’s decision to remove Rodney’s statue. He called it part of a “radical purge” of America’s Founding Fathers and warned that the city could “erase” Rodney’s legacy forever.
On Saturday, Trump celebrated the new installation in Washington.
“As we prepare to celebrate the 250th Birthday of our beloved Country, these statues and monuments now stand prominently in the heart of our Nation’s Capital as a celebration of the 250-year Triumph of the American Spirit, which is now STRONGER, GREATER, and MORE GLORIOUS than ever before,” he wrote.
