Massachusetts, North Carolina, Washington, Illinois, Oregon and Connecticut all cited budget constraints in their reasons for not attending. Maine’s tourism office told a local ABC News station it declined the invitation because of scheduling demands during a “busy summer season.” Additionally, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania’s tourism board told The Hill on Wednesday that the state is still making a determination about whether it will participate.
Illinois’s Peoria Riverfront Museum volunteered to showcase the state’s history at the fair…. North Carolina will be represented by vehicle company Spevco and NASCAR team Richard Childress Racing.
“On July 4th, at The Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, in beautiful and safe Washington D.C., we are going to host the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all……”
I was simply using Eurovision as a model of international cooperation; an equivalent comparison that highlights American nationalism is the cultural dominance of privately-owned national sports leagues (with token Canadian involvement) over international leagues such as how Europe has UEFA championships (CONCACAF championships have very low public engagement in the U.S. compared to national sports leagues).
Part of the problem is how large and culturally dominant the U.S. is relative to its neighbors, compared to the more balanced structure of Europe that facilitates organizations such as the EU, but a shift away from nationalistic events at the forefront of American culture would help with that.