At his State of the Union address last month, President Donald Trump called this “the golden age of America,” but the polls tell a different story. American optimism has slumped to a record low, and 60 percent of the country thinks we’re on the wrong track. Democrats’ pride in being American dropped during Trump’s first term and rebounded after Joe Biden won the White House. Trump’s locker-room-style embrace of the men’s team, coupled with the women’s team declining a White House invitation, led to criticisms of the men’s patriotism and the women’s principles. At the State of the Union, Trump paraded the U.S. men’s hockey team as surprise guests.

Source: Washington Post March 11, 2026 15:01 UTC