Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) will give a speech about patriotism on the Fourth of July from the Maryland State House, in contrast to President Donald Trump‘s Independence Day rally on the National Mall, a “Tribute to America.”
Moore said he believes Trump is going to focus on talking about himself in the speech and that the president is “incapable of meeting the moment,” according to Politico, who first reported news of the speech. The pair of dueling speeches sets Moore up to directly juxtapose Trump, as Moore, a possible 2028 contender, continues to seek to elevate his name on a national scale. Though the Maryland governor told the outlet he’s trying “to be a foil to darkness,” not just Trump himself.
“I think I’m trying to be a foil to self-serving ideologies. What I want people to know in all this is that I believe strongly that we need a future-facing vision for this nation,” Moore told the outlet, echoing his own past July 4th remarks about looking “ahead towards the future.”
Moore will deliver the speech on the morning of Independence Day, with the exact time still to be determined, his senior press secretary, Ammar Moussa, confirmed to the Washington Examiner. Trump’s “Tribute to America,” which the president said will be “the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all,” will be held in the evening at around 7 p.m. There will also be a massive fireworks show later in the evening, which Trump has said he wants to be record-breaking.
AMERICA 250 IN DC: EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT JULY FOURTH FESTIVITIES AND MORE
In his speech, Moore will differentiate between patriotism and nationalism, Moussa told the Washington Examiner. Moussa said the governor will argue that “nationalism is about allegiance to a person, a party, or a movement, while patriotism is about allegiance to the country and the people who make it worth fighting for.”
Moore’s speech will be his “clearest effort yet to make the case that Democrats cannot cede patriotism to Trump,” Moussa said.
“We are a nation of strength because we are a nation of sacrifice,” Moore will say in his Independence Day speech, according to a preview of his remarks shared with the Washington Examiner.
Moore has a military background himself, having graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy in 1998 and being deployed to Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division in 2005.
“Patriotism is more than just waving a flag. Patriotism is about service. Patriotism is about dedication. Patriotism is about resilience, and patriotism is about working together to build a more appropriate union for all of us,” Moore had said in a July Fourth message in 2024.
Moore has been building his national platform over the past several years, with pundits believing he will soon eye a run at the White House. However, Moore has vowed not to run in 2028, instead saying he is focused on the midterm elections, while maintaining his position as an up-and-coming leader in the Democratic Party.
Listeners can expect his speech on the Fourth of July to focus on how his party should be moving in response to Trump.
MOORE URGES DEMOCRATS TO ‘MOVE ON’ FROM 2024, CALLS DNC AUTOPSY REPORT ‘PART OF THE PROBLEM’
Moussa said that on Independence Day, Moore will make the case that “Democrats have been too willing to let Trump wrap himself in the flag while turning patriotism into grievance, performance, and loyalty tests.” The Governor will argue that true patriotism is instead “the work of serving people, telling the truth, and building a country worthy of the sacrifices people have made for it.”
The Washington Examiner has reached out to the White House for comment.