Mexican flags of Los Angeles mobs were an early birthday present for Trump | Opinion

Let’s hope the rioters in Los Angeles were shouting “Happy Birthday, Donald Trump,” because they just delivered him a spectacular early birthday gift. Those images — people in mobs waving and draped in Mexican flags, people attacking police and looting businesses — will be “Exhibit A” in his argument that the border crisis isn’t just a policy failure, it’s a full-blown invasion.

No amount of messaging could have accomplished what those photos and footage just did. It was a political windfall, and the White House couldn’t have choreographed it better if they tried.

Let’s face it, Gov. Gavin Newsom was an easy target. For years, blue-state governors and mayors have looked the other way while “protesters” overran city streets, assaulted law enforcement and destroyed property. Newsom’s willingness to let it happen again to appease the radical fringe of his base played directly into President Trump’s hands.

For Trump, who turns 79 Saturday, this wasn’t just a birthday gift, it was a gold mine. It allowed him to double down on two of his strongest campaign promises — tighter border security and more “law and order” — while also letting him pivot away from a messy split with close ally turned sudden social media critic Elon Musk.

Trump’s clash with Musk should have sparked a genuine reckoning within the Republican Party. Instead, it was swallowed by headlines, memes and political theater. Strip away the noise, though, and what’s left is unmistakable: This wasn’t just a personal spat, it was a seismic rift that revealed a GOP adrift, fractured and in the midst of a deep identity crisis.

The Republican Party I know — the one many conservatives still believe in — is committed to balancing the budget, reducing the national debt and standing firmly against the kind of reckless spending that mortgages our children’s future.

How have we drifted so far from our core beliefs that this is now a point of contention?

The answer is simple: Too many Republicans have abandoned conservative principles in favor of short-term populism. They’ve traded restraint for applause, substance for spectacle, vision for viral moments.

Need proof?

Just look at GOP members of Congress who are willing to go along when Trump posts that he agrees with Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren on eliminating the debt limit, which would effectively hand Washington an unlimited credit card.

Or consider the 215 Republicans who voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill, which includes a provision to create “Trump Accounts” — a $1,000 government-funded account for every American newborn. This isn’t free money. It’s taxpayer money. Taking money from hardworking Americans and giving it away like this is nothing more than a redistribution of wealth, plain and simple. If Democrats proposed it, Republicans would be screaming socialism.

There is more to lament, but I don’t have space here to list it all. Republicans were sent to Washington to lead, to rein in spending and to uphold conservative values. Instead, today’s GOP is acting more like Democrats than defenders of limited government.

I opened this piece by mentioning Trump’s birthday. Now I want to mention another one — the U.S. Army’s, which is the same day. On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia established the Continental Army — making it America’s first national institution. Just five days later, George Washington was commissioned as its commander in chief.

Without the Army, there would be no America.

There’s plenty to criticize in our politics today, but a parade marking the Army’s 250th birthday isn’t one of them. It’s not Trump’s parade. It’s a tribute to generations of men and women who have stood as “the shield of our nation, our democracy, and our way of life.”

I hate the $25 million to $45 million estimated cost. And the optics aren’t great. But if we’re being honest, the optics are only horrible to those critical of who’s in the White House.

When we celebrate the United States of America’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, let’s hope the nation can set politics aside long enough to honor our institutions and history without turning them into battlegrounds.

One more thing: Go Army!

This story was originally published June 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM.