Trump is Not America, and America is More Than Trump

Former British diplomat Alexandra Hall Hall found reassurance in the America she has always loved and recognised this Fourth of July – in the deep red of West Virginia

I celebrated America’s Independence Day, which this year also commemorated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, in a small town in West Virginia, several hours’ drive away – but, more importantly, metaphorically as far away as possible – from Washington DC.

The choice was deliberate.

Neither my husband nor I wanted to be anywhere near DC for the Fourth of July celebrations, even though the fireworks on the National Mall promised to be ‘the most spectacular ever’ in the nation’s history.