As an independent-minded liberal, or so I like to think, I must occasionally give our president the benefit of the doubt. One such occasion has arisen.
When he disinvited the Eagles to the White House, his substitute ceremony included "God Bless America". During the song, Trump seemed not to know all the words, a fact which has attracted attention and some derision.
The Post has an article on the history of the song which is very good. Its popularity is relatively recent, that is, within my lifetime.
I don't know about Trump, or the rest of you, but the way I learned our patriotic songs was in music class in elementary school. Anchors Aweigh, etc. I'm sure I can no longer remember the words to any of them, even our national anthem, in the sense that I could sit down and write out the song. But, get me standing with a group of people and a band playing and somehow muscle memory takes over and I can produce what stands as singing of the words, good enough for government work anyway.
But I'm sure "God Bless America" is not a song I learned. I'm aware of it, having heard it enough, but I've no muscle memory to count on. Now Trump, being younger than I, may have learned the song in his elementary school, may have if he wasn't talking or disrupting the class (on his way to military school). If so, let's criticize away.
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