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What’s Wrong with Putting America First?

Aug 30, 2020 6:00 pm By Robert Spencer

My latest in the American Thinker:

The overarching lesson of the triumphant Republican National Convention this week is that America is great, and that it is good and proper for an American president to put America first. In that, of course, the RNC is echoing President Trump’s consistent statements since he began running for president four years ago. But the President’s America-First message remains one of the most maligned, misinterpreted, and misrepresented aspects of his entire program.

In fact, the president’s primary job is clear from the oath of office that every president recites in order to assume office, and it isn’t to provide health care for illegal aliens, or to make sure that Somalia isn’t riven by civil war, or to make sure America is “diverse.” It is simply this: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Or, to put it even more simply, as Rating America’s Presidents: An America-First Look at Who Is Best, Who Is Overrated, and Who Was An Absolute Disaster explains, the primary job of the president of the United States is to put America first.

Nonetheless, this point is hotly controverted. In Donald Trump’s inaugural address on January 20, 2017, he declared: “From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this moment on, it’s going to be America First… We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world — but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.”

In response, neoconservative pundit William Kristol tweeted: “I’ll be unembarrassedly old-fashioned here: It is profoundly depressing and vulgar to hear an American president proclaim ‘America First.’”

There is much more. Read the rest here.

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Filed Under: Featured, Robert Spencer, United States Tagged With: Donald Trump, Rating America's Presidents, William Kristol


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Comments

  1. Westman says

    Aug 30, 2020 at 6:42 pm

    Wat? When Europeans get a month off for vacation, while subsidized by their government not paying its full NATO bill, that’s not them first? One-way tariffs are not, Europe First?

    Imagine Merkel saying, “Now, paying our full NATO bill, we cannot afford more than 3 week citizen vacations from industry and new immigrants at the same time. Therefore, vacations will now be limited to 3 weeks.”

  2. Eli says

    Aug 30, 2020 at 6:54 pm

    It is vital to put America first, because, true patriotism has been diminished. It is challenging to fight in unity against a cause and win, while divided. It is hard to help someone else, if you haven’t prepared and taken care of yourself first. Obama set the stage of division with the increase of Islam and Socialism/Communism. President Trump clarified his many attempts to restore America, but the controversial Communist Democrats have developed a base, during the Obama/Biden administration. Americans need to see the risk of following Biden and his Communist follower’s lies and deceit. A report showed that Biden had two brain aneurysms, and a physician had questioned his performance under great duress. Many have noted his questionable behavior, and Pelosi doesn’t want him to debate. So is he qualified for the position?

    • Aleks1988 says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 3:03 am

      Well, I think you’ve already answered your own question(which I assume was sarcastically rhetorical anyway).

      Nit only is “Sleepy Joe”, not fit to serve as a POTUS, he probably isn’t even fit, to live a normal and independent life.

      Yet, his liberal cronies, as well as the leftist MSM, would have us believe otherwise, even when the truth is quite obvious!

  3. gravenimage says

    Aug 30, 2020 at 7:08 pm

    What’s Wrong with Putting America First?
    …………….

    Hear, hear!

    • Westman says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 12:07 am

      With no borders, corporations and liberals inviting the world to work and stay here, and not putting “America First”, how will there still be a real US of America? Is Rome Italy the real Roman Empire or just a vestige where tourists go to to see the past and the new spitting grounds for the “migrants” passing through?

      If Biden, the Trojan Horse, is elected, will we need to explain why the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument are missing? And how about those museums on the Washington Mall? Certainly looters could get some real “Benjamins, baby” out of that booty, eh? Without police, that shouldn’t take long….

    • E T says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 3:55 pm

      GI, google “How did you think it would end”. Just a little of treason.

      • gravenimage says

        Aug 31, 2020 at 9:16 pm

        Thanks for that reference, E T. I had not heard of this video–it is quite right. (Although I had of course heard a lot of this horrible stuff the first time round).

        Here’s the link–it’s only a little of over two minutes long:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yYplnEkbqU

        Very telling.

  4. infidel says

    Aug 31, 2020 at 1:23 am

    In the same breath,., when we Hindus of Indian ask ” What is wrong in putting the Hindu ethos of India first for India” and all the Jehaadis and Christian missionaries living on Indian soil go berserk.. So I hope U Americans understand that our demand (ONLY FOR INDIA) and (NOT FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD) of putting Hinduism first on our one and only land for Hindus on this planet IS INDEED A FAIR ONE and that is what our present PM Modi is doing…

    • Westman says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 1:58 am

      There is no problem with declaring “India First” if includes all citizens.

      The idea of “Hindus First” is the equivalent to the US declaring “Christians First”, which is not what Trump declared. Perhaps one needs to live in India to understand why “Hindus First” is not the equivalent of enshrining a religion as the government – something prohibited by the US Constitution. Religion as government never leads to a willing and lasting peace
      – as the historic Catholic church has amply demonstrated.

      • infidel says

        Aug 31, 2020 at 3:51 am

        I C ur POV Westman.. The only reason for putting Hinduism first in India is because this is the last and the only land for Hindus on this planet and is increasingly in danger of getting wiped out for good. There are many Christian and Muslim majority nations. But this is the only Hindu majority nation and that too struggling to keep it that way.. Please understand. At the same time, Hindus like me would have NO PROBLEMS at all if the Western nations declare themselves as Christian nations.

        • Westman says

          Aug 31, 2020 at 8:38 am

          Thanks, Infidel. Got it. Same enemy across the border and internally who intend to erase Hinduism by force. Gandhi succeeded in driving out the Brits yet he seems to have failed to realize he could never bring peace with Islam due to its supremist demands.

    • Seeking Deliverance says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 5:09 am

      Infidel, sadly wherever Islam roams/resides so (too) does violence and war. Islam is incompatible with any non-Muslim country and all other religions (though I’d argue that Islam is a ideology of war and NOT a religion).

    • gravenimage says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 9:18 pm

      Comparing peaceful Christian missionaries to violent Jihadists is a bit disingenuous, even if you hate all non-Hindu faiths.

      And most here do indeed support Modi.

  5. Aleks1988 says

    Aug 31, 2020 at 3:11 am

    Just the mere fact, that neo-nazi(far-right) imbecile Richard( not Robert ), practically endorsed Biden as President of the United States, should me more than enough proof of the “lefts” disgusting agenda.

    History, eoscially during the 1860s, as well as the 1960d and LBJ’s infamous quote, should prove to any remotely sane and intelligent person, who should be more competent, to serve as POTUS.

    Besides, as it has probably been mentioned several times now, Biden is merely a puppet that the leftist scum uses, as a faux-candidate, who would (should he actually manage to “win” the upcoming election) be swiftly replaces by Kamala Harris, upon election.

    This year is truly shaping up, to become the darkest, we had to face in decades, and yet, I believe at a silver-lining, a light at the end of this dark tunnel, that is 2020.

    • Seeking Deliverance says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 5:11 am

      Exactly. Richard Spencer and many other sell-out entities (cough… cough… Turning Point America… cough… cough) have revealed their rainbow colors. Richard Spencer does not care for PoTUS Trump because PoTUS is fully allied with Israel.

      • Reziac says

        Aug 31, 2020 at 11:06 am

        Richard doesn’t care one way or the other, so long as he gets his name in the news and people keep donating to his “cause” (which is himself). He’d fallen by the wayside, so it was time to whore for the media again and get himself noticed. Since nowadays the right knows him for a whore and mostly laughs at him, he got that attention by declaring for Biden.

    • Reziac says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 11:03 am

      Anyone who was paying attention realized Richard was merely a media whore from the gitgo, and when he came on the scene the best way to get immediate media attention was by being a “Nazi”. (One should perhaps also note that National Socialism was far *left*, and be not at all surprised that Richard proves to be a leftist, at least when it’s convenient and can get his name in the news.)

    • curious george says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      Aleks1988 says

      Besides, as it has probably been mentioned several times now, Biden is merely a puppet that the leftist scum uses, as a faux-candidate, who would (should he actually manage to “win” the upcoming election) be swiftly replaces by Kamala Harris, upon election.
      This year is truly shaping up, to become the darkest, we had to face in decades, and yet, I believe at a silver-lining, a light at the end of this dark tunnel, that is 2020.
      …………………………..
      Kamala Harris may not, according to the Constitution of the United States, be eligible to be VP let alone POTUS as her parents were not U.S. Citizens at the time of her birth. I realize that this is a hot button topic and there are various interpretations pertaining to the definition of “natural born citizen” found in Article II, Section 1, Paragraph 5 of the Constitution of the United States.

      4 Supreme Court Cases define “natural born citizen”
      https://www.thepostemail.com/2009/10/18/4-supreme-court-cases-define-natural-born-citizen/

      Why It Should Matter that Kamala Harris Is Not a Natural Born Citizen
      https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/08/why_it_should_matter_that_kamala_harris_is_not_a_natural_born_citizen.html

      Obama and the Natural Born Citizen Clause
      https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2008/12/obama_derangement_syndrome.html

      As for the silver lining, the light at the end of the tunnel, beware, in all probability it’s an oncoming train.

      The worst is yet to come. Batten down the hatches.

  6. James Lincoln says

    Aug 31, 2020 at 9:42 am

    As Americans, we need to “Put America First”. All other sovereign countries should do the same.

    American citizens can be justifiably proud of their heritage and their country. As the nation developed, mistakes were made – but were later rectified. And that is a tribute to our greatness.

    We now truly have equality of opportunity – for those who want to take advantage of it.

    A strong national identity is critical in the event that our country is attacked from outside or from within…

    • Rufolino says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 9:55 am

      But it appears it already is being attacked “from outside and within”.

      And this is probably true of all the old democracies.who made the terrible mistake, based on generosity, that all unidentiable “refugees” should be offered everything.

      • James Lincoln says

        Sep 1, 2020 at 9:52 am

        Rufolino,

        That is true, that’s why a strong national identity is so important. Leftists / antifa / non-assimilated muslims will not defend a country that they despise.

        True patriots are the only ones who will defend their country.

    • Linda M Gusch says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 12:04 pm

      This Country IS being attacked from within!

      And they are trying their damnest to take this Country down, and turn it into a Socialist shit hole!

      • James Lincoln says

        Sep 1, 2020 at 9:53 am

        Linda,

        See my reply to Rufolino, above.

    • E T says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 4:00 pm

      Yes, James and everyday I thank God the US is our wonderful neighbour. My Mom and Dad always told us we are lucky to have such a strong, neighbour who cherishes freedom like Canadians do.

  7. CogitoErgoSum says

    Aug 31, 2020 at 2:10 pm

    The Democrats’ new campaign slogan: “Make sure America comes in last. Vote Biden/Harris.” Yep, sounds like a winner to me. Yes, the Democrats have a dream that Joe and Kamala will transform America into the last place anyone would ever want to live. You Democrats, make sure that dream comes true. Tell everyone you meet to make sure America always comes last – and tell everyone you know to make sure Joe and Kamala come in last too – because to do otherwise would be depressing and vulgar.

  8. curious george says

    Aug 31, 2020 at 9:05 pm

    Off topic

    Barack Obama Advised LeBron James, NBA Players on Playoff Boycott

    https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2020/08/31/barack-obama-advised-lebron-james-nba-players-on-playoff-boycott/

    • gravenimage says

      Aug 31, 2020 at 9:21 pm

      Yes–just disgusting. No wonder the NBA is losing so many fans.

  9. OLD GUY says

    Sep 1, 2020 at 11:06 am

    The president of America must but American citizens first, that is who he works for. President Donald Trump is one of the first politicians in along time to recognize that fact.

    • gravenimage says

      Sep 1, 2020 at 9:42 pm

      +1

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