For some people, "America first" could mean concentrating on domestic issues, like keeping jobs in the country or conquering the foreboding opioid epidemic; for others, "America first" might mean securing American interests abroad. But I think most people would agree that "America first" means - at the very least - putting America's interests above the interests of other countries.
Thus, when petitioned to fund another country's border wall defenses, stand against foreign boycotts, pursue foreign wars or relocate an embassy to take a side in a foreign land dispute, there is not a lot for an "America first" politician to deliberate other than whether America has something to gain from its engagement. In fact, it would be peculiar to expect any deliberation but this deliberation.
That brings us to U.S. President Donald J. Trump. Trump ran on a platform of "America first". But I have seen a foreign leader go to great lengths to portray himself in connection with Trump. Is that because said leader wants the public to believe "America first" is in their interests, too? Is that because said leader wants the public to believe in his ability to hold sway over "America first"?
Having read the biography Kushner, Inc., I am well aware that Trump's right-hand man, Jared Kushner, is very closely interwoven in the affairs of that country:
Incidentally, a politician was just reprimanded for suggesting the same sort of thing. Her critics seem to be of the mind that the accusation of foreign collusion is a very serious matter, and it is dangerously irresponsible to make such allegations based on heresy. Ironically, the woman's critics have been working tirelessly to try to present Trump in the middle of a Russian conspiracy to derail American politics where, instead of American politics benefiting the American people, American politics benefit the Russian state. But what does the situation really look like on the ground?
George W. Bush:
John Kerry:
John McCain:
Barack Obama:
Joe Biden:
With these examples in mind, tell me what you see. Is it this?
Or, do you see this?
Is this what you see?
Or do you see that every potential candidate for the White House has spoken to AIPAC? Astonishingly, AIPAC is just one of its kind, as there are other, America-based, Israel-focused organizations, including the American Zionist Movement (AZM), Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) and the Israeli-American Council (IAC). Others, like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), have repeatedly made a point to express pro-Israeli views. The following is not an actual magazine cover, but imagines what such a magazine cover would look like if an issue went to print that focused on America's Israel-first lobby:
There is this lingering impression that Trump somehow stands against the norm, and is indeed fighting for "America first". We see this with both memes and in his own actions:
But do not assume that Trump ignored AIPAC, because he did not. For those with time to watch, here is full speech before AIPAC in 2016:
For those who do not have time to watch, the summary is as follows: Trump made a number of campaign promises with regards to Israel, just as he did to everyone else along the campaign trail. The difference is, whereas Trump delivered on the promises he made during his conference with AIPAC, the promises he made to his America-first base have gone wholly unfulfilled (Note: for comparison, I would be showing you a beast of a campaign promises list that is about 500 lines long, with exact quotes and links to each promise documented on video, but unfortunately this list is no longer in my possession and I am not at liberty to explain why). Trump has done so well for Israel, the country has even named part of its controversially-claimed settlement territory after him, called Trump Heights:
Here is a short overview of what Trump has done for Israel, as opposed to what he has delivered for his America-first base:
The most important letdown for America-first is that Trump declined to utilize his presidential powers to call a national emergency to build a wall or send federal troops to the border (what other state of emergency could there possibly be, but protecting the country from outside harm? What other purpose should a military for The People serve)? Not surprisingly, Trump has also failed to curb the influx of immigration - and, in fact, Trump delegated the issue of immigration to Kushner.
Giving us a daily barrage of tweets, Trump has sat on the sidelines while his America-first supporters and their arguments are purged from social media - especially Twitter and YouTube. Trump has failed to float trust-busting, commerce clause or public-utility arguments, even as the disparaged "Twitterer-in-Chief", to ensure America's Constitutional values remain part and parcel to public discourse. Even if one were to say America is just about "values" and not The People - what are we, and what are we becoming, if we are not even defending those values?
One has to wonder about the focus on Israel and fulfilling promises to those who lobby for it; how can you claim yourself to be about "America first", let alone expect to be "Make America Great Again", if America is not even the focus of your policy? It is such a bizarre notion.
Thus, when petitioned to fund another country's border wall defenses, stand against foreign boycotts, pursue foreign wars or relocate an embassy to take a side in a foreign land dispute, there is not a lot for an "America first" politician to deliberate other than whether America has something to gain from its engagement. In fact, it would be peculiar to expect any deliberation but this deliberation.
That brings us to U.S. President Donald J. Trump. Trump ran on a platform of "America first". But I have seen a foreign leader go to great lengths to portray himself in connection with Trump. Is that because said leader wants the public to believe "America first" is in their interests, too? Is that because said leader wants the public to believe in his ability to hold sway over "America first"?
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| 2019 Israeli legislative election poster where the incumbent is linking himself to Trump |
Having read the biography Kushner, Inc., I am well aware that Trump's right-hand man, Jared Kushner, is very closely interwoven in the affairs of that country:
Incidentally, a politician was just reprimanded for suggesting the same sort of thing. Her critics seem to be of the mind that the accusation of foreign collusion is a very serious matter, and it is dangerously irresponsible to make such allegations based on heresy. Ironically, the woman's critics have been working tirelessly to try to present Trump in the middle of a Russian conspiracy to derail American politics where, instead of American politics benefiting the American people, American politics benefit the Russian state. But what does the situation really look like on the ground?
- the book Kushner, Inc. depicts
RussianIsraeli ties to the Trump Administration, and is conveniently ignored by nearly every major mainstream media reporting source. - mainstream media calls "America first, not
RussiaIsrael" a "controversial" message: - Americans are being pushed to unite for, and stand by,
RussiaIsrael, a phenomenon the press ignores: - Congress refuses to pledge $5 billion to secure America's borders, but is okay with $38 billion being budgeted to help
RussiaIsrael fund its domestic security initiatives: - a well-funded and influential lobby group, the American
RussiaIsrael Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC for short), meets with key American political leaders to discuss the implementation of policy that advancesRussia's interestsIsrael's interests. Nearly every single mainstream U.S. politician has gone through the ritual:
George W. Bush:
John Kerry:
John McCain:
Barack Obama:
Joe Biden:
With these examples in mind, tell me what you see. Is it this?
Or, do you see this?
Is this what you see?
Or do you see that every potential candidate for the White House has spoken to AIPAC? Astonishingly, AIPAC is just one of its kind, as there are other, America-based, Israel-focused organizations, including the American Zionist Movement (AZM), Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) and the Israeli-American Council (IAC). Others, like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), have repeatedly made a point to express pro-Israeli views. The following is not an actual magazine cover, but imagines what such a magazine cover would look like if an issue went to print that focused on America's Israel-first lobby:
There is this lingering impression that Trump somehow stands against the norm, and is indeed fighting for "America first". We see this with both memes and in his own actions:
But do not assume that Trump ignored AIPAC, because he did not. For those with time to watch, here is full speech before AIPAC in 2016:
For those who do not have time to watch, the summary is as follows: Trump made a number of campaign promises with regards to Israel, just as he did to everyone else along the campaign trail. The difference is, whereas Trump delivered on the promises he made during his conference with AIPAC, the promises he made to his America-first base have gone wholly unfulfilled (Note: for comparison, I would be showing you a beast of a campaign promises list that is about 500 lines long, with exact quotes and links to each promise documented on video, but unfortunately this list is no longer in my possession and I am not at liberty to explain why). Trump has done so well for Israel, the country has even named part of its controversially-claimed settlement territory after him, called Trump Heights:
Here is a short overview of what Trump has done for Israel, as opposed to what he has delivered for his America-first base:
The most important letdown for America-first is that Trump declined to utilize his presidential powers to call a national emergency to build a wall or send federal troops to the border (what other state of emergency could there possibly be, but protecting the country from outside harm? What other purpose should a military for The People serve)? Not surprisingly, Trump has also failed to curb the influx of immigration - and, in fact, Trump delegated the issue of immigration to Kushner.
Giving us a daily barrage of tweets, Trump has sat on the sidelines while his America-first supporters and their arguments are purged from social media - especially Twitter and YouTube. Trump has failed to float trust-busting, commerce clause or public-utility arguments, even as the disparaged "Twitterer-in-Chief", to ensure America's Constitutional values remain part and parcel to public discourse. Even if one were to say America is just about "values" and not The People - what are we, and what are we becoming, if we are not even defending those values?
One has to wonder about the focus on Israel and fulfilling promises to those who lobby for it; how can you claim yourself to be about "America first", let alone expect to be "Make America Great Again", if America is not even the focus of your policy? It is such a bizarre notion.
