It’s that Trump referenced the 1876 Philly Expo. This was an exposition, a national fair to celebrate America's 100th birtday. He brought it up totally out of left field. He went on and on about electric lights, typewriters and telephones, inventions displayed at the Expo, like he missed those days of technological advances, as if nothing amazing has happened since. This coming from a man who can communicate to the world with a hand-held computer from his toilet. Just weird.
And then he attempted to tie it into America's 250th birthday, nine years from now. Why bring up that at all? It’s not like he declared the formation of a committee to organize a national exposition to celebrate it. No pronouncement of sending a man to Mars by then, or building a moon base. Nope, just, “Hey, in 9 years the USA will be 250 years old.” So random. There was a chance to make a Kennedyesque goal. There was a chance to set a task for the nation. Instead he just got wistful about the electric pen and moved on.
Why? Because then maybe he'd have to admit that America has been great since 1876 and still is. He can't admit we're doing okay because he spent too much time and effort telling everyone we weren't. That's some corner he's painted himself into.
Weirdly, the one think he didn't bring up about the Philly Expo of 1876? The first public display of the Statue of Liberty, partially constructed for visitors to the fair. Huh.