It's been obvious for years that Democrats aren't patriotic. They'd rather burn the American flag and wrap themselves in a Pride flag than say anything nice about this country. Go to a left-wing rally and count the flags. You'll spot more Palestinian flags than Old Glory. Yet the Democrat Party never seems willing to own any of it, and the media are always standing by with an excuse.
Anderson Cooper supplied the latest one. On his CNN program AC360, Cooper denied that Democrats display anti-American sentiment, even though multiple examples of exactly that had aired on his own network in the days surrounding America's 250th anniversary.
Cooper was discussing President Trump's visit to the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library and the national mood heading into the Fourth of July's 250th-anniversary celebrations when CNN contributor Scott Jennings brought up the "patriotism gap" between Republicans and Democrats.
"Look, I think America 250 is a great thing for our country, and I think the President is right to lean into it," Jennings said. "There is a very simple explanation about some of the attendance, and you can see it in the polling. Don't take my word for it. Ask the Gallup poll, ask the NBC News poll. We have the patriotism gap in this country. Republicans love this country. They are patriotic about this country, and Democrats aren't. They just aren't. They are not proud to be Americans, and therefore they're not interested in celebrating America's 250th birthday."
Now, the interesting thing about the left and patriotism is that its love of country is typically tied to who is in power. When its party is in power, it has a boost of patriotism, but it’s still pretty low. Overall, the trend is impossible to deny: Democrats are increasingly anti-America.
Related: Buffalo, N.Y., Insults America Twice Before Independence Day
"This has been a steady downward trend for the last 25 years, and it is sad that we've got two parties in this country, one loves it, and one appears to be hating it more and more by the year," he said.
Cooper pushed back, framing the problem as Trump's ego rather than the country itself. "Isn't the President proclaiming his face all the time? He is remaking Washington in his image with his name on things," Cooper said. "I don't hear a lot of hate of the country from Democrats."
Had to break the news to my colleagues that the data is clear & our eyes and ears don’t lie: Democrats, sadly, hate America & Republicans love it. Trump is right to lean into his patriotism for America 250. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JIbz6r4qfD
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) July 2, 2026
Really? He doesn’t? Does anyone believe that? Was he sleeping through the Obama and Biden administrations?
Gallup and NBC polling, which CNN itself had aired repeatedly, showed the share of Democrats who are "extremely" or "very" proud to be American went from 85% in January 2001 to just 29% by 2026. Republicans held steady at 90% across those same 25 years. Cooper's own network ran the numbers. Cooper just chose not to believe them.
From the anti-American rhetoric of elected Democrats and Democrat candidates to the refusal of blue state governors to participate in America’s 250th celebrations in Washington, the evidence of hate from the left for this country is everywhere. Heck, even in my own backyard, the city of Buffalo, N.Y., canceled its own Fourth of July fireworks for the 250th anniversary outright.
This denial of the patriotism gap is just part of the usual trend of the left not to own who and what they really are. We’ve seen Democrats go from an America-loving party pre-9/11 to a party that hates the country in just 20 years. Seriously, there’s a reason why if you see a house displaying an American flag, it’s likely a Republican household.
Anderson Cooper didn't have to look far for proof of the Democrats' patriotism problem. He just had to check his own network's coverage. Republicans keep showing up to celebrate the country. Democrats keep finding reasons not to, and the media keep finding reasons to look away.
