“We will never back down, and we will never, ever, ever surrender,” he said in Iowa last year. “We will fight, fight, fight. We will win, win, win because we are Americans and our hearts bleed red, white, and blue.”

Now, senior Republican figures hope that a national feel-good factor and a surge in patriotic pride will help their party in the midterm elections.

David McIntosh, of the influential Club for Growth, told Secrets the only thing better would be holding the Super Bowl right before Election Day.

“We’ve got, with our foundation, a plan to celebrate it over the Fourth of July … and we have done a couple of events to point out key times in our founding, I think that will remind Americans that we have something beautiful in our system of government, and we should cherish it and make sure that it goes forward,” he said.

“I think that’s motivational to Republicans and our base and moderate or mainstream Democrats. I’m not sure that’s motivational to the hard progressives.”

Republicans will need all the help they can get. Democrats need only pick up three seats to win back the House, and with Trump’s approval rate falling as fast as gas prices are rising, they might even have a shot at taking the Senate.

Against that political backdrop, the nation is preparing for two huge parties.

Semiquincentennial — get used to saying it now, you’ll thank me later — festivities will include a Great American State Fair, with exhibits from all 50 states, on the National Mall; “Patriot Games,” featuring high-school athletes from across the country; a National Garden of American Heroes; a UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House; the traditional fireworks display on the National Mall; and events nationwide.

The celebrations are bipartisan. Yet the choice of heroes for the national garden and the focus on events around the Trump White House can’t help but carry symbolism for one side or the other.

At about the same time, 48 national soccer teams will arrive for the world’s biggest sporting tournament. Some 6.5 million people are expected to attend games in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

It will be the most lucrative World Cup in history.

A recent study by independent analysts OpenEconomics forecast that it would add more than $17 billion to the U.S. GDP and create about 185,000 full-time jobs.

READ MORE: Sports to play big role in Trump’s celebration of country this year

In a speech on Monday evening, Brandon Beach, U.S. treasurer, listed the tournament alongside the 250th anniversary and Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act tax cuts as reasons to be optimistic for the 2026 election cycle.

“Think about that: We’re going to showcase the United States to the international community. I’m a football guy. I didn’t know how big soccer is … but it’s huge, and it’s going to really help us in economic development,” said the official in charge of minting commemorative coins for the tournament.

Democrats are not exactly worried, however.

Strategist Brad Bannon said voters’ main concerns were the economy and inflation. It was wishful thinking that a sudden burst of national pride would send voters toward the Republican Party.

“I’m sure there’ll be a surge of patriotism,” he said. “I’m just not sure it’s going to do Trump and the Republicans any good unless they can find a way to get prices significantly lower than they are now, and honestly, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Late bloomer: Japan’s Iron Lady arrives in DC

The visit was designed to cement ties between Japan and the U.S., symbolized by the gift of 250 cherry trees dripping in pink blossom — 250, you get it right?

There was important diplomatic work to be done, to be sure. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expected to set out her country’s case before Trump heads to China for a summit with Xi Jinping.

But when Japan’s Iron Lady landed Wednesday night, ahead of her White House meeting Thursday, she found her plans upended by the U.S. war in Iran, Washington’s demands that Japan offer military assistance, a postponed presidential trip to China, and … it seems … by the city’s extended winter.

“We have been working very closely with our American counterparts to prepare for this visit … and everything has been very smooth, except for one small detail,” Shigeo Yamada, the Japanese ambassador to the U.S., told guests at the Trump-Kennedy Center on Wednesday evening.

“I had hoped that the prime minister would arrive with cherry blossoms in full bloom, but unfortunately, unlike my very productive counterparts in the American government, Mother Nature hasn’t been very cooperative.”

The extended freezing temperatures mean peak bloom is not expected for at least another 10 days.

Guests sipping sake were then entertained by the most contemporary of Japanese dance performances, featuring the work of choreographer and performer Hiroaki Umeda.

Computer-generated backdrops and industrial soundscapes combined with the fluid rhythms of dancers to create a cinematic fusion of art forms.

Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations, said the center was proud to mark 250 years of “American greatness” with a cherished ally.

“This enduring partnership is a testament to our shared values and appreciation of the arts that will continue to unite our two nations for generations to come,” she said.

Whether Umeda’s technofuturist work fits with Trump’s retro ideas of a cultural center that eschews the elite for the masses is anyone’s guess, but it proved to be a mesmerizing night.

A bit of a situation 

Excitement rippled through Washington’s nerd class on Wednesday, with the announcement that Polymarket planned to open a pop-up bar where political gamblers could watch their money disappear in real time.

“Imagine a sports bar… but just for situation monitoring – live X feeds, flight radar, Bloomberg terminals, and Polymarket screens,” the company said in a social media post.

Just one problem. It wants to call it “The Situation Room,” in a nod to the White House control hub, and there is already a D.C. consultancy called the Global Situation Room, whose mission is very much to track events unfolding around the world.

As Brett Bruen, a former White House staffer and chief executive of the Global Situation Room, pointed out on X: “We have @GlobalSitRoom & related terms trademarked (checks notes) …for tracking situations around the globe.

“Flattered, really – it’s a great name. But, no – you can’t use it.

“Yes, my lawyers will be in touch

“Anyone taking bets on how fast it gets changed?”

For those interested, it looks as if Polymarket is renting out sports bar Proper 21 on K Street for its pop-up — hat tip to @barredindc, which tracked it down. Although you can create the exact same effect by sitting in any bar and staring at your phone all night.

Lunchtime reading

The end of Trumpism: The Spectator’s cover story doesn’t even add a question mark to its headline, as Christopher Caldwell argues the Iran war marks the end of Trumpism. By breaking so definitively with his base, the project to tear down the Deep State and rebuild democracy in the image of his supporters is over.

What’s behind Trump’s new world disorder: What happens when you trade legitimacy for raw power? A thought-provoking look at whether foreign policy “freed of liberal pretenses and imperial ambitions could lead to restraint or … simply license hit-and-run belligerence.”

How Markwayne Mullin would lead DHS differently than Kristi Noem: Less fuss, in a nutshell.

You are reading Washington Secrets, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, who you can reach at secrets @ washington examiner DOTCOM with your comments, story tips, and suggestions. If a friend sent you this and you’d like to sign up, click here.