-Source-NPR-
We are about to have a national conversation about the word nationalist.
A word in more or less everyone's vocabulary has suddenly become a flashpoint because, well, because it was claimed by President Trump during a stump speech in Texas on Monday. That alone means people are likely to argue about it.
But the president said Tuesday he was a "proud" nationalist, and he used it to contrast himself with previous presidents who negotiated trade deals, arms agreements and immigration laws — all of which involve the interests of other nations in addition to our own.
Trump has made it his business to repudiate all of the above. He often recounts how he has complimented leaders of Japan and China and other world powers on their pursuit of their national interest. We should be more assertive about serving our own, he says.
"I love our country," he said, explaining his remarks Monday night in Houston, "and our country has taken second fiddle."
Other countries, rich as well as poor, are taking advantage of the U.S., Trump said. They got the better of trade and paid less for the common defense, he said.
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"All I want is for our country is to be treated well, to be treated with respect, so in that sense I'm absolutely a nationalist, and I'm proud of it," Trump said.
There is nothing new in any of this. "America First" has been a Trump mantra for years. The suggestion that the U.S. has been fleeced by foreign partners and competitors alike has been central to his appeal to all those who find talk of "globalism" unsettling or even threatening. Read more
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