Jack Hughes delivered the gold medal to the U.S. ice hockey team in the winter Olympics, scoring the winning goal in overtime play.
In a postgame interview, Hughes exclaimed, "This is all about our country now. I love the USA. I love my teammates. It's unbelievable. The USA hockey brotherhood is so strong ... I am so proud to be an American today."
Moving indeed. But the question is, how much did Hughes' effusive patriotic sentiments, his exhortation of love of country, resonate across our nation?
We don't hear much these days of unbridled expressions of national pride, of patriotism.
And, in fact, feelings of pride in our nation, per Gallup polling released last June, are at an all-time low.
Just 58 percent said they were extremely or very proud to be an American.
To compare, in 2002, 91 percent said they were extremely or very proud to be an American.
What's happening to our love for our country?
Taking a closer look, we find that diminished affection for the USA is not bipartisan. It is disproportionately among Democrats.
Looking back to 2002, there was hardly any difference between Republicans and Democrats. Among Republicans, 98 percent said they were extremely/very proud to be an American. Among Democrats, it stood at 92 percent.
The average was dragged down by independents, 85 percent of whom said they were extremely or very proud.
However, by 2025, only 36 percent of Democrats said they were extremely/very proud. Independents stood at 53 percent and Republicans at 92 percent.
One might speculate that the precipitous drop in patriotic sentiment among Democrats is because of the Republican currently occupying the White House.
However, we must note that from 2001 to 2025, the percentage of Republicans saying they were extremely/very proud never dropped below 90 percent. The party of the president had no effect on Republican patriotic sentiment.
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Gallup annually surveys sentiment toward 30 institutions of our national life – our system of government and how well it works, the size and power of the federal government, corporations, the economy, public schools, healthcare, public education, religion, etc.
We find that positive and negative evaluations toward these national institutions are also very different among Republicans and Democrats.
During the current term of President Donald Trump, the average positive evaluation of these 30 national institutions among Democrats stood at 27 percent. Average negative evaluation stood at 67 percent.
The average negative evaluation among Democrats of these 30 institutions over the last seven presidential terms – Trump, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush – was 56 percent. The average positive evaluation over the same period among Democrats was 38 percent.
Among Republicans, over these last seven presidential terms, the negative average was 42 percent, and the positive was 52 percent.
So, Republicans are net positive about the country over four presidencies – two Republican and two Democrat – and Democrats are net negative.
Even under the Biden presidency, Republicans were more positive about our national institutions than Democrats.
Under Biden, the average positive evaluation of these 30 institutions among Democrats stood at 35 percent and negative 60 percent.
Among Republicans, under Biden, the average positive evaluation of the 30 institutions was 45 percent and negative was 49 percent.
So even under the Democratic Biden presidency, Republicans were more positive about the core institutional structure of the country than Democrats.
What can we conclude?
Republicans are positive about our country and its institutions and Democrats are not.
It doesn't matter who gets elected. Democrats want a different country.
Republicans are grateful to be in a free country, knowing that sometimes they win and sometimes they lose.
Democrats want a different country.
This hasn't always been the case. It's something that has happened over the last 25 years.
There was a time when both parties understood we live in a free nation under God.
In this 250th year of America's birthday, we now have one party that no longer wants the nation founded on July 4, 1776.
Star Parker is the founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Her recent book, "What Is the CURE for America?" is available now.
Editor's Note: With President Trump back in the White House, the state of our Union is strong once again.
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