America turned 250 on Saturday, 4 July, marking a quarter millennium since the Declaration of Independence proclaimed the break of 13 colonies from British rule.
Yet, as the US celebrates this milestone, there is perhaps more soul-searching than triumphalism. The country remains deeply polarized. The US-Iran war—or perhaps, depending on the latest developments, the uneasy peace that followed it—has hardly enhanced America's standing. President Donald Trump's approval ratings have slipped. And fresh financial disclosures have revealed that Trump earned at least $2.2 billion during his first year back in the White House, including about $1.4 billion from his family's cryptocurrency ventures.
“Mr. Trump’s profits are a haul once unimaginable for any leader of a liberal democracy, particularly a sitting American president. No modern Western leader has ever publicly disclosed such big windfalls while in office,” wrote Jason Horowitz in a New York Times piece. “His gains were all the more striking because the United States has long positioned itself as a standard-bearer for financial regulation, anti-graft measures and the rule of law. Yet his cryptocurrency earnings highlight an unusually glaring conflict: As president, Mr. Trump oversees the regulation of an industry that, as a businessman, he also greatly profits from,” Horowitz added.
For the rest of the world, the bigger question is what the remaining two-and-a-half years of the Trump presidency will bring. If the first year has been any indication, more disruption may well lie ahead.
The run-up to America's 250th birthday has certainly not been smooth for Trump.
This week, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) struck down an executive order issued by the President of the United States (POTUS) that sought to end birthright citizenship—the constitutional guarantee that children born in the US are automatically citizens. The ruling dealt a significant blow to Trump's attempt to overturn a policy that has stood for more than 150 years and marked a setback for his broader immigration agenda.
Illegal immigration has been one of the defining issues of the Trump administration. The border wall with Mexico became the symbol of that policy. A Guardian report in January noted that 2025—the first year of Trump 2.0—was the deadliest in two decades for detainees held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It reported that 32 people died in custody during the year. The agency was holding 68,440 people in detention by mid-December, with nearly three-quarters having no criminal convictions. December alone accounted for seven deaths in custody.
Back to the Supreme Court
According to the BBC, five justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts, agreed that Trump's executive order violated the Constitution's 14th Amendment. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, whom Trump nominated to the court in 2018, wrote separately to say the order also violated federal law. The dissenting justices were Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito.
The US has granted citizenship to virtually everyone born on its soil since 1868, when the 14th Amendment was adopted in the aftermath of the Civil War. Originally intended to guarantee citizenship to formerly enslaved people, the amendment states that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States."
The ruling comes as a relief for many Indians living and working in the US, particularly those on H-1B and other temporary visas or those waiting for permanent residency. It preserves automatic US citizenship for children born to such families. It could also protect the citizenship rights of children born to undocumented Indian migrants.
Not every Supreme Court ruling has gone against Trump. Some have strengthened presidential authority, including decisions expanding executive power and shielding presidents from prosecution for official acts.
Others, however, have curbed his agenda. Earlier this year, the court also struck down Trump's attempt to use emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs, ruling that he had exceeded the authority granted under federal law.
Shifting sands
Coinciding with America's 250th birthday, Iran is set to hold six days of funeral ceremonies for its late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The ceremonies will take place across five cities in Iran and Iraq and are being described as the largest state funeral in the country's history. Reports say the funeral was delayed because of the war, the time taken to secure a ceasefire and the subsequent negotiations. The final burial is scheduled in Mashhad on 9 July.
India is being represented at the funeral by Bihar Governor Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain and Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita. Congress leader Salman Khurshid and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti have also travelled to Iran, along with representatives of several religious groups.
Does India's attendance signal a recalibration of its Iran policy? Possibly.
The Middle East—or West Asia, for India—is undergoing a significant strategic realignment. Iran has emerged from the conflict with its regional standing arguably enhanced, having demonstrated an ability to withstand sustained military pressure from both the US and Israel.
At the same time, Pakistan is increasingly being seen as carving out a diplomatic role in the region. India would do well to ensure its own engagement keeps pace with these changing dynamics.
Natural partners
Meanwhile, New Delhi rolled out the red carpet for Japan's first woman prime minister, Takaichi Sanae, on her first official visit to India.
The visit comes at a time when both countries are looking for trusted partners across critical technologies, artificial intelligence, defence, investment, resilient supply chains, economic security and trade.
With the United States adopting a more inward-looking posture under President Trump—and Asia appearing to slip down Washington's list of strategic priorities except as a market—countries such as India and Japan have greater reason to deepen their partnership.
"By drawing on each other's strengths, Japan and India can become stronger and more prosperous together," Takaichi said during the joint press conference.
"Amid a turbulent international environment, building such a mutually complementary partnership has become increasingly important."
The visit also underscored both countries' continuing commitment to the Quad and the Indo-Pacific. That is hardly surprising. It was Takaichi's mentor, former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who first articulated the concept of the Indo-Pacific during his landmark address to the Indian Parliament in 2007.
China today possesses the world's largest navy by number of ships and continues to expand its footprint across the East and South China Seas and into the Indian Ocean. It has also demonstrated an increasing willingness to weaponize trade—a tactic Japan has experienced first-hand and one that India has also begun confronting.
If Washington's strategic focus continues to recede from Asia, much of the responsibility for maintaining the regional balance will increasingly rest with countries such as India, Japan and other like-minded partners.
Elizabeth Roche is associate professor, O.P. Jindal Global University.