Comedian Chris Distefano told Fox News Digital that he hasn’t seen American pride on such a large scale since the aftermath of the terror attacks on 9/11.
The comedian noted that, although the country is clearly still divided across political lines, he feels that people are becoming “exhausted” by the constant political strife and may be ready to start unifying as Americans again.
“I think our country, honestly now, personally, I know that it’s very divided, but I think that — and it might be because of exhaustion, if you think the other way — I do think that we’re going to make a concerted effort to try to come together a little bit more. Of course, I could be wildly wrong, but it’s how I feel. I think that people are exhausted by this constant, you know, trying to shut everyone down,” said Distefano.
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Distefano pointed out that the resistance to President Donald Trump’s second term doesn’t seem to have the same fervor it did during his first.
“I mean, you look at this Trump presidency, the very early stages of it versus the last Trump presidency… I mean, people were trying as much as they could to get anything they could on him to try to remove him, people screaming in the streets, so mad,” noted Distefano.
He went on to explain that resistance to Trump seems to have lost the steam it once had.
“The first three months of his presidency have just been like, yeah, there’s issues and people are trying, but there’s no real major like, upheaval, because I think people are like, all right, let’s just, like… this is it’s exhausting to do it the other way. So, like, why don’t we just try to… I do feel we’re unifying more as a nation,” the comedian said.
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Distefano continued by noting that American pride has returned in a way that he hasn’t seen in over 20 years.
“There’s more American pride in our country than I remember. I haven’t felt… American pride like this since, like, honestly, like 9/11. Like after that. Like right after that, there was so much American pride, everyone came together. And now I feel it again, which I think is good.”
He clarified that having American pride doesn’t mean American citizens feel they’re better than citizens of another country, but that they’re proud of who they are. He added that citizens of other countries should feel the same.
“I understand America is just lines on a map like every other country, but there is something about having pride as a nation that’s just better for everyone. It’s better for us. I’m not saying America is the only be-all, end-all. I’m saying it’s good to have pride in where you’re from, as when I go to other countries, they have pride in where they’re from. And you see their flags flying, and they’re proud of something. And that doesn’t mean, hey, you know, we’re number one, so, you know, s*** it, Mexico. It’s like, no, be prideful, to be proud to be Mexican, be proud to be an American, and we work together,” said Distefano.
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As a comedian, Distefano feels that it’s not his job to tell people who they should and shouldn’t vote for, but to call it as he sees it and make fun of either side when it’s warranted.
“For me, comedians, I think we call it like it is, and perception is reality. I’m in the middle, I’m Chrissy Grey-zone, I’m America first. I always have been, always will be,” said Distefano. “You know, it’s like who I voted for is like, you know, for me, it’s like, as a comedian, I feel like number one, that’s not why I’m here. That’s not why I’m in the public eye, is to be like, is to choose a side. I’m here to say, ‘here’s what I think the funny things are about both sides.'”
He continued by noting that, while he does lay into both sides when fitting, one side of the political aisle has been stirring up anti-American sentiment across the country.
“What I will say is the perception has definitely become over the last two years, call it — and I’m not smart enough to know why — that the Democrats are anti-American, and the Republicans are pro-American. That’s what it definitely became,” claimed Distefano. “What I saw is that Democrats were saying, you know, ‘America is, we have all these problems, and you should be anti-American, and, oh my God;’ where Republicans are saying, ‘Yeah, we have those problems, but you should be pro-American.’”
The comedian also touched on what he thinks of Trump’s comments on acquiring Greenland and Canada potentially becoming the 51st state.
“I think that even Trump’s efforts, like, who knows if the executive orders will pass, who knows if we’ll buy Greenland or Canada is going to be the 51st state? Who knows, right? It could just be wild things he’s saying. But I do think what it’s doing is trying to reassert an American dominance, which again, is just good for our pride as a nation. “I think, like, you’d be proud to be an American again,” said Distefano.
He concluded the topic by pointing to the American flag as a symbol of our nation’s changing sentiment.
“I remember after 9/11, if you didn’t have an American flag outside your house, people would be like, ‘what are you, a terrorist? What are you, with them?’ Then, it became if you had an American flag outside your house, 20 years later, people would be like, ‘what are you, a terrorist? What are you, with them?’” said Distefano. “And so, it flipped. And now I feel like it’s not even necessarily that it’s flipping back, I just feel like it’s neutralizing where people are going to say, ‘hey, I’m proud to be in America.'”
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