Millions attended Khomeini funeral in Tehran
Millions of people and dozens of countries attended Ayatollah Khomeini's funeral in Tehran on July 4th, a sharp contrast to Trump's low-turnout event.
Snapshot · The MeidasTouch Podcast
Trump Goes Silent as DC Turns into Toxic Dumnp
Explore episode
Jul 5, 2026
Where this was said
Ash on the Mall and the Ayatollah's Funeral
At 10:03 · chapter starts 8:50
Joe Flood's photographs tell the story that the fireworks footage couldn't — every surface around the reflecting pool covered in a fine layer of ash, debris floating in still-green water. Workers were deployed to the pool the morning after, clearing fallout from a display that the administration billed as a triumph. Meiselas adds a grim stat: close to a hundred hospital-related incidents were reported, possibly more. Then the pivot to geopolitics: on the very same day, Ayatollah Khomeini's funeral drew millions of mourners to Tehran and representatives from dozens of nations. The contrast, Meiselas argues, was not lost on Iran — they highlighted it directly while Trump was 'out there polluting the United States.' The side-by-side images of a sparse D.C. crowd and a packed Tehran street underscore the soft-power optics.
~100 hospital-related incidents
Close to a hundred hospital-related incidents were reported at or around Trump's Fourth of July event.
Ayatollah's Funeral vs. Trump's Empty Seats: The Optics War
On the same day Trump held his Fourth of July spectacle to a sparse crowd, millions of people and dozens of nations gathered in Tehran for Ayatollah Khomeini's funeral. Iran noticed — and made sure the world did too.
Fox News: 'God Loves Donald Trump' After the Fireworks
While residents choked on hazardous smog, Fox News hosts raved that Trump's fireworks show was the greatest in US history, broke the Guinness World Record, and that 'God loves Donald Trump.' The contrast with reality was stark.
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