Then, the president of the United States walked around to each of the five candidates, shook all of our hands (it must have been the third time) and stood behind us as everyone recited the Pledge of Allegiance. When the ceremony was over, and the press and cameras had left, Trump came back into the Oval Office to make sure each family took individual photographs with him, standing behind the Resolute desk, gifted in the 19th century by Queen Victoria.
Of course, I was aware it was all good public relations — a bit of political theater, carefully staged at an extraordinary moment in the nation’s life. Minutes later, he would deliver a speech about ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, over a border wall intended to keep people out. After we got home, we scrolled back through the photos on our phones to confirm that this had all really happened. And in the days since the most extraordinary afternoon of my family’s life, we have watched carefully the reaction of our friends and neighbors as we tell them the story.
What I often want to say to them is that, however you choose to interpret the event, don’t refuse to believe it was a truly American moment. If, as a polarized nation, we cannot find things to celebrate together, allowing those we disagree with to celebrate alongside us, transcending — even briefly — our divisions and personal feelings, then what hope is there to build dialogue to transform our troubled time?
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