Former US Presidents Share Independence Day Messages, Reflecting on Nation's Ideals

Four living former U.S. presidents marked the nation's 250th Independence Day with messages reflecting on its founding principles and future.

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We are the only nation in history founded not on ethnicity, blood, or geography, but on an idea. That is what has always made us exceptional.

President Joe Biden recalled the founders' promise of equality and inalienable rights, stating that the U.S. is unique as a nation founded on an idea rather than ethnicity or geography. He shared a photo of himself and First Lady Jill Biden watching fireworks from the White House.

Former President Barack Obama described the United States as a work in progress, emphasizing that each generation must continue the work of its predecessors to protect what is right, correct what is wrong, and make the union more perfect. He noted this task is more important than ever 250 years later.

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The United States is a work in constant evolution, and it is up to each generation to take up the unfinished work of the previous one and carry it forward, protecting what is right, correcting what is wrong, and making this union a little more perfect.

Former President George W. Bush shared a video addressing the anniversary, highlighting cherished freedoms such as freedom of worship, press, and voting as unifying values for the next 250 years. His remarks come as a heatwave grips much of the country.

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I believe the freedoms we cherish, the freedom to worship as we choose, the freedom of the press to hold power accountable, the freedom to vote, and the freedom to pursue our dreams, are values that can unite us as we move toward the next 250 years.

Former President Bill Clinton issued a statement that appeared to criticize the current administration, referencing actions like deploying masked agents to remove people from their homes and initiating unconstitutional wars. He echoed the founders' mission to form a more perfect union, acknowledging that the U.S. has always strived to improve by confronting its flaws and embracing a more promising future.

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Our founders were wise to entrust us with the mission of forming a more perfect union. They knew that America would never be perfect, but it could always be improved. We have achieved this by having the courage to acknowledge our flaws and mistakes, and the audacity to leave them behind in pursuit of a more promising future.