As President Donald Trump marked America’s 250th anniversary with White House-led celebrations, a separate online video featuring a roster of Hollywood figures emerged as a form of counterprogramming.
The Hill reported:
A star-studded cast released a reading of Timothy Snyder’s popular anti-propagandist book “On Tyranny” as counterprogramming to the White House-led celebrations for America’s 250th on Saturday.
The video, which was narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker, featured celebrities like Mark Ruffalo, Joan Baez, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Margaret Atwood, Leslie Odom Jr., Ted Danson and others.
The stars read the book’s 20 points aloud, which provide advice for countering authoritarian systems of government. These points include ideas like “do not obey in advance,” “be wary of paramilitaries” and “practice corporeal politics.”
The video circulated widely online and quickly drew criticism from viewers who described it as political messaging out of step with the holiday tone:
Why do millionaire actors keep thinking they have the education, moral authority, reliability, or responsibility to educate regular people how to go about their lives?
— Luka Duka (@lucas561) July 4, 2026
Greatest country in the world and we don’t care what you unthankful pieces of shit think ❤️🇺🇸
— David Moore (@PrimeTimeDino) July 4, 2026
The communism you all support is tyranny. Hollywood has really all dumbed you folks down. Americans laugh at you, and clearly don’t watch your repetitive, boring movies because we have better things to do with our time.
— LLou4198 (@LLou4198) July 4, 2026
These people are bound and determined to shit 💩on everyone's parade.
— @Pamah11 (@pamelina1111) July 4, 2026
Meanwhile, Trump used social media ahead of the Independence Day speech to highlight the scale of the national celebration, even as a record-setting heat wave impacted much of the eastern United States.
According to USA Today:
A record-setting heat wave has plunged tens of millions of Americans in much of the eastern half of the country into heat advisories and warnings, as the country marks its 250th anniversary with massive parades, firework shows, concerts and barbecues.
President Donald Trump said in a mid-afternoon social media post that the 100-degree heat “isn’t as bad as predicted” and the crowds are “INCREDIBLE!” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he put in a call to Trump to congratulate all Americans on Independence Day, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also sent his best wishes, as did the United Kingdom’s King Charles III.
Not to be left out, California Gov. Gavin Newsom also weighed in with a post of his own:
250 years ago, this country was founded on a radical idea that government answers to the people.
Today, that idea is under attack by a man who embodies the very tyranny our Founders rejected.
Let's honor the promise of America by defending our democracy. pic.twitter.com/Gk5mTy5ce6
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 4, 2026
What are your thoughts?
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
