Politics & Power Quote by Angie Everhart

Patriotism shows up here less as flag-waving than as a kind of emotional performance under pressure: smiling when you don’t feel like it, stepping into public view when the mood of the country makes celebration feel borderline inappropriate. Everhart’s line reads like backstage talk made public, and that’s the point. She names the difficulty first - “a hard time to celebrate” - then pivots to duty. The move is strategic: it grants her permission to be conflicted while still landing on a socially acceptable endpoint.

The phrase “But I’m an American” does a lot of work in very few words. It collapses personal feelings into a national identity, implying that Americanness carries obligations: show up, support, keep the face on. Coming “out with a smile” isn’t just about her; it’s about the expectation placed on public figures, especially women in visibility-driven industries, to embody reassurance. The smile becomes a civic gesture.

Naomi’s mention (almost certainly Naomi Campbell, given the milieu) quietly signals how celebrity networks function as informal institutions in moments of crisis or heightened tension. “Naomi asked me” frames the appearance as communal and relational rather than self-promotional, a subtle defense against cynicism: I’m not here for the cameras; I’m here because someone called, and because the country needs a show of unity.

Underneath, you can hear the cultural script of the era: when public morale dips, even entertainment spaces get recast as patriotic stages. The quote isn’t lofty; it’s pragmatic - how people talk when they’re trying to hold a shared mood together.