From a New York Times story by Michael Gold headlined “A Small Town’s Fourth of July: Flags, 5K, and Trump’s Attacks on American Institutions”:

Former President Donald J. Trump drew a crowd of thousands to a quiet South Carolina town’s Independence Day event, where he assailed the integrity of major American institutions and painted a dark portrait of the country ahead of a holiday meant to celebrate its underpinnings.

Speaking for nearly 90 minutes on Main Street in Pickens, S.C., with at least 20 American flags behind his back, Mr. Trump often eschewed the rhetorical flag-waving and calls for unity that have long been as central to Independence Day as hot dogs, baseball and fireworks.