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Former President Bill Clinton took a swipe at President Donald Trump in a statement posted to X marking the nation’s 250th birthday, urging Americans to reject division and embrace the country’s founding ideals without mentioning Trump by name.
In the statement, released Saturday, Clinton reflected on the nation’s founding and warned that the United States was experiencing another period of deep political division.
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“Today, we celebrate this milestone amid another period of deep division, renewed questions about America’s future and role in the world, and serious threats to our own institutions and to our democracy itself,” the former president wrote.
Clinton, whose wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was defeated by Trump in the 2016 presidential election, did not mention the president by name during his remarks.
“The people in charge have unleashed masked agents on American communities to seize people from their homes, workplaces and the street,” Clinton said.
“They have started an unconstitutional war on a whim, with no clear objectives or exit strategy, and zero regard for the consequences to the lives of millions of people around the world,” he added.
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Former President Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump shake hands during the Inaugural Luncheon in the U.S. Capitol in 2026. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
The former president then broadened his criticism to the federal government and the courts.
“With the help of lifetime appointees to the Supreme Court and a compliant Congress, they have weaponized government to settle personal scores, prosecute enemies, stamp out free speech and made the federal government a new profit center for themselves and their allies,” he added.
Clinton’s statement came as Trump presided over separate America250 festivities in Washington, D.C., where he touted what he called America’s “Golden Age” and highlighted his administration’s accomplishments, the U.S. military and the country’s economic outlook.
Clinton encouraged Americans to think about the nation’s future as it enters its next 250 years, arguing that preserving democratic institutions requires citizens to value common purpose over political grievance.
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President Donald Trump spoke at a rally at Mount Rushmore National Memorial on July 3, 2026 in Keystone, South Dakota as part of the America 250 festivities. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Trump, meanwhile, used his Independence Day address to celebrate the nation’s founding while touting his administration’s achievements, criticizing progressive Democrats and promoting priorities including election integrity measures, border security and a renewed emphasis on patriotism.
While both men celebrated the nation’s founding, their messages highlighted vastly different views of the country’s current political climate.
