Bush praises First Amendment while Obama says US doesn’t ‘have kings’ ahead of 250th anniversary

WASHINGTON, DC: Former presidents have shared messages to the people of America and also revealed what they love about the country ahead of its 250th anniversary -- the Semiquincentennial. George W Bush hailed the US’s First Amendment as he spoke with NBC News.

This year's 4th July celebration will mark 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.

Bush says the First Amendment unites us

While speaking with Jenna Bush Hager of ‘TODAY’ at a private event in Philadelphia over the weekend called ‘History Talks’, the 43rd president said, “The fact that you can speak in the public square without being jailed. The fact that we have a press that’s willing to hold the powerful to account. I mean, these are all things that should and generally do unite us.”

He also asked Americans to be "a citizen not a spectator, and by that I mean participate in the process but also love a neighbour like you liked to be loved yourself."

Obama says the US has citizens, and the nation was founded on this principle

Barack Obama told NBC News that the US does not “have rulers, we don’t have kings, or monarchs, or aristocracies; we have citizens,” and it’s “the basic principle upon which this country was founded.”

The ex-commander-in-chief also urged the American people to “extend respect and thoughtfulness to our fellow citizens, even if we disagree with ‘em” and “sort through our differences in peaceful, legal ways.”

“If we understand that part of this democratic project is to — then I’m confident that we’re gonna have another 250-year run that’s gonna be just as good,” Obama added.

Joe Biden feels the US is not as divided as perceived

Former President Joe Biden also spoke with Hager, where he asserted that the US is not “as divided as we portray”.

“I’m sure there’s anywhere from 15 to 30% of the people who are on the one end here,” he stated.

The 46th president also talked about himself while adding, “The idea that a kid from Scranton, Pennsylvania, who’s — we weren’t poor, but where a middle class guy could, you know, who used to have a stutter, could end up being president of the United States is just kind of a story of what America’s all about.”

Obama is hopeful about the US's bright future

Obama noted that the US is “polarized, and there’s been a decline in trust”. But he also stated, “The first time I was on the national stage and I talked about hope, I reminded people hope is not blind optimism; hope arises in the face of difficulty, in the face of uncertainty.”

“When you look at the sweep of American history, we’ve gone through rough patches. And we tend to come out on the other side of them stronger,” the first Black president of the US added.