Ronald Reagan, hunched at a Camp David desk and wearing a well-worn white Lacoste polo shirt, spoke into two microphones to address the nation’s radio listeners.

It was July 4, 1987 – Independence Day 32 years ago – but on a day of national unity his message was nakedly political.

He pushed an economic 'bill of rights' – a Reaganomic dream in which the federal government would be forced to balance every budget, and a new rule that tax increases could only be implemented via supermajorities in congress.

He then trumpeted Robert Bork – his ultimately doomed Supreme Court nominee who’d spoken of his desire to roll back some civil rights decisions and was already sullied by his actions while working for Richard Nixon.

Presidential posturing on the Fourth of July it seems isn’t quite the terrifying dystopian development that Donald Trump’s critics painted it to be.

All the times that bigger crowds than Trump's showed up to DC Show all 7 1 /7 All the times that bigger crowds than Trump's showed up to DC All the times that bigger crowds than Trump's showed up to DC Million Man March 95 - 837,000 Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan called the Million Man March in 1995 in order that black men could improve their image in society AFP/Getty All the times that bigger crowds than Trump's showed up to DC Million Mom March - Over 700,000 Demanding sensible gun legislation, over 700,000 mothers, grandmothers and other marched on Washington in the year 2000 AFP/Getty All the times that bigger crowds than Trump's showed up to DC March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom - 300,000 The 1963 march that saw Martin Luther King give his famous 'I have a dream' speech drew 300,000 people to the National Mall to demand civil rights AFP/Getty All the times that bigger crowds than Trump's showed up to DC Women's March - Over 200,000 The day after the inauguration of President Trump, women all over the world took to the streets in protest of his comments on women. 200,000 marched on Washington alone. AFP/Getty All the times that bigger crowds than Trump's showed up to DC March for Women's Lives - 1.1 million A pro-choice rally in 2004 drew over a million people to the National Mall to protest against the Bush administration's policies on family planning and reproductive health issues Reuters All the times that bigger crowds than Trump's showed up to DC March on Washington for LGBT rights - Over 1,000,000 Over 1,000,000 people marched on Washington in April 1993 to demand greater rights for LGBT people AFP/Getty All the times that bigger crowds than Trump's showed up to DC Obama's Inauguration - 1.1 million The inauguration on Barack Obama in January 2009 drew 1.1 million (top) people to the National Mall, the highest number since Lyndon B Johnson's second inauguration in 1965. President Trump falsely claimed that his crowd (bottom) was bigger Reuters

With the US at war in Korea, Harry Truman co-opted the iconic Washington Monument to mark the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

And, in 2000, Bill Clinton spoke from the deck of the USS John F Kennedy, in front of the Statue of Liberty.

The deep fear heading into Thursday’s ‘Salute to America’ event, however, was that Mr Trump would go further – using a tank-decorate bully pulpit to hack at his political opponents.

President Donald Trump at the Salute to America event on Independence Day (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

But the comically low bar that’s often set for Mr Trump was comfortably cleared. He didn’t call for Hillary Clinton to be locked up, he didn’t make-up any false smears about a 2020 rival, and he didn’t swipe at his Oval Office predecessor.

There was no joking around about his absolute power over the military, or the gloating over the weakness of geopolitical rivals.

It is, perhaps, the closest Mr Trump will get to looking presidential.

But his attempt at unity betrayed what his mere public presence led to on the streets of Washington DC.

An hour before the traditional lunchtime parade, one Maga-merchandise vendor sat by an near-empty stand: “My brother’s driving another 10 boxes here. The caps are flying.”

Members of the US Secret Service detain a man after an attempted flag burning in front of the White House (Getty)

More people had their political affiliations on display than ever before, many attendees told us, and it was all Trump. Tensions in the crowd were palpable.

At one point, a family had a minor disagreement with a man who appeared to be Mexican. The patriarch, wearing a Maga t-shirt and aggrieved at a perceived invasion of personal space, remonstrated.

The man replied: “I don’t care.”

The dad hit back, looking him up and down: “Yeah, you people don’t."

When a battalion of police officers passed by as part of the parade, a group of white guys in their early 20s and clad in the iconic bright-red Trump garb whooped and hollered: “We love the police!”

A black man standing nearby deadpanned: “Yup, we just love the police.”

There are two Americas, and studies show some people feel the sides are more deeply divided than ever before.

Trump supporters listen to president's speech (Getty)

Putting them together only increased the contrast.

Many of those holding anti-Trump signs looked and sounded defeated – nurses, teachers, students, with scrawled signs on A4 paper. The need to do something, anything, to protest a president who has broken so many norms.

On the other, brash t-shirt slogans: Are you tired of all the winning? Hillary for Jail 2020, and others.

There was at least one fluttering ‘Q Anon’ flag - a reference to a bizarre far-right conspiracy theory detailing a supposed secret plot by an alleged ‘deep state’ against the president and his supporters.

And the presence of ‘Proud Boys’ marching confidently through the crowd also caught the eye.

What was the reason for Mr Trump’s toned down demeanour?

Aides once suggested that the happiest they’ve ever seen him was after the Bastille Day parade in Paris in 2017. Perhaps the sight of the nation’s military might left this often angry man temporarily contented.

Or, and this is a long shot, perhaps he’ll rein in his baser instincts as the 2020 election draws near. The less motivated their opponents are, the better, he could confidently reason.