A conductor for the Chattanooga-area Incline Railway in Tennessee is fired after making a viral Independence Day announcement to passengers. Multiple outlets report that the conductor’s on-board remarks included praising the United States as the “greatest country” and telling people who disagreed with that view to “leave.” The statement was captured in video and circulated online, prompting criticism from some viewers who said the message was offensive or exclusionary. FOX News reports that the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) terminates the employee following the incident. The New York Post and Daily Mail also describe the message as controversial and state that tourists and viewers reacted with disgust, with at least some outlets characterizing the remarks as xenophobic and patriotic in tone. The reports agree that the firing occurs after the July 4 announcement and that the controversy centers on the conductor’s remarks to passengers, not on any separate incident during the ride. The outlets do not report that authorities filed criminal charges, and no alternative outcomes or reinstatement decisions are mentioned.