Is America the best country in the world? Congress answers

WASHINGTON – American democracy and the American people are what make the U.S. the best country in the world, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle told Fox News on Thursday. 

“America is the best country in the world, and the theme from our fore-founders forward has been toward a more perfect union,” Rep. John Larson, a Connecticut Democrat, told Fox News. “And the best way to do that is in a democratic republic with free and open voting and people speaking their mind to move the nation forward.”

Rep. Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat, agreed.

“I think America is the greatest country in the world,” he said. “And that’s why we’ve got to come together and protect and preserve it.”

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A New York Times/Siena College poll found only 37% of Democrats think the U.S. is the greatest country in the world. It also found that 55% of Democrats thought it was great, but not the greatest, while another 7% said the U.S. is “not a great country.”

But every lawmaker Fox News interviewed — including Democrats — said America is the greatest country in the world.

Sen. Cory Booker said America is “absolutely, unequivocally” the best country in the world.

“People from all over the world are here in America every day, coming together, working together, to aspire to make not just a more perfect union, but as they say in the Bible, to be a light unto all nations,” the New Jersey Democrat added. 

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, said America is the best country without question.

“And the reason is, our democracy, our form of government,” Grijalva said. “The ability to correct and get better within our system of representation and in the rule of law.”

“No other country does that, and as long as we do that, we’re going to be fine,” he added.

Last month, President Biden said in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia that “MAGA forces” were determined to take the country backward and threaten democracy.

“Equality and democracy are under assault,” Biden said in his address. 

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Rep. Andy Kim, another New Jersey Democrat, said he believes America is the greatest country in the world because of the opportunities the country provides everyone to come and seek a better life. 

“Fifty years ago to this year, my parents came to the United States,” Kim told Fox News. “They came here because they knew that here, me and my sister could have a better life and more opportunities than they did.”

“And I’m now raising my 5-year-old, my 6-year-old down the road from where I grew up,” Kim added.

In The New York Times/Sienna College poll, 69% of Republicans called the U.S. the “greatest country in the world.” Another 24% said it was great but not the greatest. Only 5% of Republicans said the U.S. is not a great country. 

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“America should be everybody’s favorite country that works here on Capitol Hill,” Rep. David Kustoff, a Tennessee Republican, said. “It certainly is mine.”

“Think about everything that we get to experience, all the freedoms that we enjoy today — that’s the envy of everyone else in the rest of the world,” Kustoff continued. “Thing is, we have to remember that we have to continue to fight for those freedoms.”

Rep. Mike Kelly told Fox News: “I don’t know how anybody can sit in this body and put out this is a terrible country, we’re racist, we don’t help people, we don’t do anything.” 

“We’re the ones that show up. It’s always America,” the Pennsylvania Republican said. “We got millions coming in here illegally because they want to be in America.”

“If we can’t stand up for America, we can’t stand for anything,” Kelly said. 

Tyler Olson contributed to this report.