Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Bush works as country has day off

Mary Dejevsky
Thursday 05 July 2001 00:00 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The nation took the day off, but George Bush was hard at work. In a trip laden with symbolism, he spent his first Fourth of July as US President in Philadelphia, the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed 225 years ago.

In a speech at Independence Hall, Mr Bush singled out equality and freedom of religion for special mention. As well as trying to capture some of the gravitas of the Founding Fathers, Mr Bush used the occasion to relaunch his initiative on faith-based organisations – a project designed to channel public money towards social projects organised by church and other religious groups.

Mr Bush's choice of Philadelphia and his decision to work through the country's premier national holiday were widely seen as responses by the White House to his flagging approval ratings.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in