The World Cup reminds us what kind of nation we're trying to build.

Even without Trump making the United States of America's 250th birthday into another one of his grifts, America 250 has already been upstaged by a different marquee event: the World Cup. For weeks now, Americans have been glued to their TVs, packing sports bars and outdoor watch parties, and flocking to stadiums to watch soccer. Not even one of our top 3 pro sports. But here we are, with the US Men’s National Team taking their first knockout stage win in 25 years. Naturally, Trump’s going to try to take credit for it, calling the US team the “best in the world” after the win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. But the success of this team comes in spite of Trump, not because of him. Half of the roster is made up of dual citizenship holders, foreign-born players, and children of immigrants. Coach Mauricio Pochettino is Argentine. This team is a repudiation of everything Trump stands for and is working towards. It could never exist in the world that Trump has tried to bring about with his brutal immigration crackdowns and isolationist foreign policy. You can’t take credit for the success of the team while simultaneously trying to eliminate the conditions necessary for it to exist. One of the more delightful features of the World Cup is the opportunity for foreign players and fans to discover our uniquely American culture, including such gems as Baja Blast, Waffle House, and Ranch dressing. It’s a testament to the fact that even after all the damage Trump has done to our reputation on the world stage, we still have culture (and food) that the world wants to consume. Hundreds of thousands of people have traveled from all over the world, which is a massive economic boost, by the way. Imagine how much more the world would embrace us if we didn’t try to scare them off with our roving bands of ICE agents and rampant gun violence. This kind of global cooperation and collaboration is exactly the thing Trump and Republicans have been trying to kill with their xenophobic rhetoric and by taking a sledgehammer to the global order. And despite their best efforts, it’s not working. But the world does still value our culture, and we still want to embrace the world. It’s why you’re seeing massive crowds in the streets in Koreatown in Los Angeles to watch South Korea vs. Mexico, and why everyone you know is googling “where is Cape Verde?” This is the America we’re fighting to protect. It’s the America that Trump is afraid of, because he’s not at the center of it. And this is the America we should be celebrating in our 250th year.