What Trump offers is permission to conceive of an American interest as a national interest separate from the “international community” and permission to wish to see that interest triumph. What makes him popular on immigration is not how extreme his policies are, but the emphasis he puts on the interests of Americans rather than everyone else. His slogan is “Make America Great Again,” and he is not ashamed of the fact that this means making it better than other places, perhaps even at their expense.Being pro-American makes Trump the anti-Obama. What could be more attractive to Republicans?
Nothing is more terrifying to the business and donor class—as well as the media and the entire elite—than Trump’s embrace of a tangible American nationalism.
Trump shows that what is most in demand, however, is not ideological purity but patriotic zeal.
Patriotism and nationalism have gotten a bad reputation among the chattering classes. At COTTonLINE we echo Ronald Reagan in endorsing both isms.
