Maryland Governor Wes Moore Talks Independence Day

**SPEAKER_1** (0:02)
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**David Gura** (0:07)
Welcome back to Bloomberg This Weekend. I'm David Gura, alongside Christina Ruffini, live from the Intrepid Museum, this Deek Commissioned Aircraft Carrier on the Hudson River in New York City.

**Christina Ruffini** (0:15)
That's right, and we are awaiting the start of this massive ship parade and aerial display. Today's historic milestone being celebrated throughout the country, and especially on the waterways behind us. You're gonna see tall ships behind us shortly. The Vice President, we've seen his osprey has taken flight. He's expected to land soon and make remarks. And we're also gonna talk to other leaders, including Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who I believe is joining us now. Happy Fourth of July. How are you, sir? I'm wondering, as you look at all these events across the country, what do you see as you look back on the 250 years of America? Do you see unity or do you see concern?

**Wes Moore** (0:54)
I see a country that has had 250 years of really one of the most remarkable journeys in world history, where we were founded on an idea and founded on a promise. A promise that we were going to see everybody and that we would create something new and unique that truly has been the greatest experiment in world history. And I think we're now looking at a country that continues to work to honor its promise.
And that is the work of patriotism. In fact, I'll be giving an address from the Maryland State Capitol, really talking about how the work of patriotism is a commitment to sacrifice and a commitment to service. That we believe in each other, we fight for each other. That's what's made this country unique in the past. And that's what will continue giving this country strength in the future.

**David Gura** (1:46)
Talk a bit more about that, the speech that you're going to give there in Annapolis. A lot of veterans will be in the audience for that speech. There's this notion that patriotism has become a contested thing. And I gather that's something that you want to push back against in that speech you're going to deliver.

**Wes Moore** (2:00)
It is because patriotism is not political, and patriotism is not partisan. You know, patriotism is the people who are willing to fight for the hope of us, the ones who are willing to put on this country's uniform and fight overseas, and the ones who are willing to serve as doctors and nurses back home and to heal them when they came home. It was the people who were willing to fight and work in the shipyards, and the people who were the conductors in the Underground Railroad. That patriotism just simply means, are you willing to fight for the hope of something that you might not even see yourself, but you are doing it because hopefully future generations will be able to benefit from the work that you have done.
We are a nation of patriots, and which means we're a nation of public servants. And I think that's the thing I want to be able to focus on is showing that this is not political and it is not partisan, that no party owns that. That is something that makes this country so special, and it's something that we must protect.

**Christina Ruffini** (3:03)
I do want to ask you about the status of the American Dream. Our colleagues at BBC, I was listening this morning, went out and asked for people to send them messages about what it means to be an American today. And most of them were overwhelmingly positive, but a couple were from people, and I've heard this among first generation families that I've talked to, or just friends who are immigrants to this country, that the American Dream, you come here, you work hard, you bootstrap yourself up, anything is achievable, is seeming harder and more distant than it used to be for a lot of people, even folks whose whole life wanted to come to America, and now they're not sure that was the right decision. Talk to us about the status of the American Dream. Do you think it is still achievable, and if not, what can we do to change that? What do politicians and lawmakers need to do to make that possible again?

**Wes Moore** (3:46)
You know, I think that I understand why people have skepticism. You know, we are in a society right now where people do feel like they're working harder and making less.
We are in a society right now where people feel like everything is just more expensive, and they're watching people in the highest offices, you know, enriching themselves sitting in these offices. So I understand why there's skepticism.