A Country Divided -- Nationalists and Patriots

“The duty of a true Patriot is to protect his country from its government.”
– Thomas Paine

Nationalism entails “loyalty to a nation, a group of people who share a racial origin and characteristics, language, customs, geography, history, and government.” Some political scientists use nationalism to mean an extreme devotion to the nation, in which loyalty to the nation outweighs all other interests. While nationalism can take many forms, in the United States, nationalism has often centered around the issue of race.

White nationalist movements which support the belief that “white identity should be the organizing principle of the countries that make up Western civilization,” have grown in the wake of the 2016 election. President Donald Trump has consistently and recklessly employed divisive identity politics to support his nationalist agenda. Simply put, dangerous white nationalism, or unyielding loyalty to and identification with one’s own nation, is incompatible with the cultural diversity of the United States.

On the other hand, patriotism is generally understood to mean “citizens’ love and loyalty to their country.” Being a patriot means to recognize the individual and collective rights of all people who make up America. Therefore, it is unpatriotic to disparage or despise people who don’t sound like you, look like you, or act like you. To be a patriotic American is to embrace multiculturalism and diversity regardless of your skin color or nationality … and, regardless of your political persuasion.

Have no doubt. President Trump is a proud, self-professed nationalist. At a rally in support of Ted Cruz’s Senate re-election campaign in 2018, Trump said …

“You know, they have a word. It sort of became old-fashioned. It’s called a nationalist. And I say, 'Really? We’re not supposed to use that word.' You know what? I am. I’m a nationalist, OK? I’m a nationalist. Nationalist. Use that word. Use that word.”

To Trump and his followers, liberals, women, and racial minorities have undermined what was once “great about America.” Their national vision is a one race, one gender, one religion narrative. The current president and his administration have become the poster-children of hate, fear, and division as they foster a white nationalist America, much of which they do under the guise of good, old American patriotism.

Do not confuse Trump's nationalism with patriotism. In one of his first official acts upon taking office, President Trump designated the day of his inauguration a “National Day of Patriotic Devotion.” His choice of words reflected the extreme nationalism of a White House that, according to reports, wanted to stage an inaugural parade with military tanks rolling down the streets of Washington, DC. “A new national pride stirs the American soul and inspires the American heart,” he proclaimed. This was a crude and unapologetic appeal to nationalism from a man claiming to seek unity through shared fears and enemies.

True patriotism is not pridefully parading symbols of military might, waving the flag, and chanting “America first!” Trump revels in such nationalistic displays. Remember, he also demanded that tanks be part of his military hardware "Salute to America" on the National Mall to celebrate July 4, 2019 – hardly a nonpartisan and apolitical Independence Day. Patriotism is the celebration of love of one's country, not the armed show of hatred of every other's.

A patriot must fight against an administration that deceitfully employs familiar symbols and jingoism to support nationalism. Allowing election meddling, weakening health-care access, gutting environmental protections, rolling back voting rights, restricting immigration, and banning travel from Muslim-majority countries (among other policies) – these are nationalistic acts that demand patriotic response. These policies are assaults on the rights to life and liberty envisioned in the Declaration of Independence.

Sadly, many would not defend freedoms over politics.

We live in an America defined by …

Division – divided by parties and corporate interests.

Greed – devoted to an “American Way” of believing money creates happiness.

Disconnection – driven by peak prosperity, not a need for respectful common values.

Racism – separated perhaps more than ever by hate, fear, and injustice.

In Trump's third appearance at the annual opening of the UN General Assembly (2019) he declared the importance of not just nationalism, but a devotion to country and history, in a speech that repeated tropes used by the white nationalist and anti-Semitic portions of his base. He said …

“Like my beloved country, each nation represented in this hall has a cherished history, culture, and heritage that is worth defending and celebrating and which gives us our singular potential and strength. The free world must embrace its national foundations. It must not attempt to erase them or replace them. The future does not belong to globalists. The future belongs to patriots."

Patriots? Trump believes patriots – those who support their country and are prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors – are nationalists – those who think sovereignty within their borders is second only to God's will – to its limits. Where is the oath to protect the country from tyrants within? Where is the responsibility to protect innocents in the face of mass atrocities? Where is the idea of fundamental human rights that go beyond borders? These things are trapped within alabaster ideological and physical walls.

Oh yes, it is true that the overwhelming majority of Americans regard openly racist views and bigoted discrimination with horror. Yet, many of these same people quickly move to marginalize minorities to gain their own political and social favor. They jump onto the bandwagon of nationalism believing somehow their “America first” stand is patriotic. In international as well as domestic affairs, these followers support malicious and revengeful tactics.

I understand patriotism has to do with reverence towards the past and the idea that rituals such as flying the flag, singing the National Anthem, or putting on a flag lapel pin is a type of devotion for one's country. However, patriotism is much more – it involves America's promise in terms of America's ongoing struggle to become a better nation. To ignore injustices that threaten this promise is to be unpatriotic.

A nationalistic policy is creating internal shame. In 2018, for the first time in Gallup's 18-year history asking U.S. adults how proud they are to be Americans, fewer than a majority say they are "extremely proud." Currently, 47% describe themselves this way, down from 51% in 2017 and well below the peak of 70% in 2003.

I think it is evident what Trump has to do with these statistics. The politics of policy-making, especially in a highly polarized environment, is often a zero-sum game in which some people benefit and some do not. “America First” and “Make America Great Again” are serious threats to human solidarity and equality. A nationalist agenda aims to limit diversity and discourage heterogeneity at every turn.

The ultimate instruments of unity are granted under the grace of God, not under the declarations of “America First” and “Make America Great Again” that egotistically serve to advance a national state. Making America tough and assertive but having no interest in developing alliances or providing progressive movement, Trump and his supporters hide behind a thin veneer of patriotism under which exists a deep layer of white, nationalistic injustice.

“It is not easy to see how the more extreme forms of nationalism can long survive when men have seen the Earth in its true perspective as a single small globe against the stars.”

– Arthur C. Clarke