America has proven it can do a lot of things. It threw off the yoke of despotism to become a representative democracy. It suffered and overcame the existential threat of a civil war to realize more fully the promise of freedom and equality for all its citizens. When that promise still proved unfulfilled, the American government legislated amendments to its Constitution guaranteeing due process under the law for everyone and voting rights for all regardless of race or gender. In its roots then, America never donned the cloak of perfection, as a fully realized ideal, but instead saw itself, according to our second President, as an “experiment” in democracy. More than a century later, when Churchill became frustrated with American foreign policy, he correctly caught the zeitgeist of the young nation when he said, “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.” In my own words, I would say we are a nation that proceeds by trial and – sometimes tragically – by error.

At times, trying “everything else” has been painful. Subsequent to the World Wars of the 20th century, our young nation emerged as a world leader and established itself as a military power. But, after assuming military preeminence, we stumbled into many conflicts that may befuddle historians. Does the average American know why we fought the Korean War or the Vietnam War? Or what we gained from those wars? We still do not have a peace treaty with North Korea. And all we gained from the Vietnam fiasco was several hundred thousand dead or wounded soldiers and a “victorious” body count of over a million Vietnamese. In recent times America has been militarily involved in various campaigns such as Iran (1980, 1987-88), Libya (1981, 1986, 1989, 2011), Lebanon (1983), Kuwait (1991), Iraq/Il Qaeda/ISIS (1991-2011, 2014-2016), Somalia (1992-93, 2007-present), Bosnia (1995), Saudi Arabia (1991, 1996), Afghanistan/Il Qaeda/ISIS (1998, 2001-present), Sudan (1998), Kosovo (1999), Yemen (2000, 2002-present), Pakistan/Il Qaeda/ISIS (2004-present), Syria/ISIS (2014-present) and many other post World War II military interventions within our own hemisphere. America’s “can-do” attitude sometimes preempts a “must-do” justification.

Fortunately, America can “do the right thing” as well. American ideals have driven diplomatic efforts to establish an international order that promotes commerce, resolves trade issues, establishes banking practices, resolves border disputes, and in general defines relationships among nations. Amongst the benefits of this international order are an absence of world wars, a global interdependent economy, and the meteoric rise of new developing nations. These successes have established America as a leader in world diplomacy and shown the world what America can do when it is aligned with its own ideals.

The question my blogs often address is whether we remain aligned with those ideals. One of my college buddies recently questioned whether I was too partisan in my criticism of Donald Trump. But I do not believe in partisanship. Instead, I put my faith in our founding ideals and in their promise of further elucidation in changing times. Party loyalty should never trump the will of the people to realize those ideals. President John Adams, whom I quoted above, warned us about the divisiveness of political parties. And President George Washington identified a “fatal tendency . . . to organize factions . . . to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of the party.” Our founding fathers may not have been perfect or totally non-partisan; but they believed in reasoned debate and compromise—neither of which are prevalent in our political campaigns or legislature. Today, the political leaders of our major Parties tend to focus less on reason than on emotions, like fear and hate. The Parties rant and rave as if in tribal warfare rather than policy debates. They scapegoat opponents and sometimes those less able to defend themselves – like the undocumented, the immigrant or racial minorities – with conspiracy theories, unsupported evidence, made-up facts, and imagined threats to our jobs, our personal safety, and national security. Now, under Trump’s leadership, there is even an attempt to defend America against these scapegoated minions who allegedly threaten our way of life. He orders the military to secure our border from the impoverished and victimized, many of whom are merely seeking asylum. His Attorney General maximizes penalties for non-violent crimes, effectively putting minorities in the crosshairs of the law. He uses the internment of children as a detriment to asylum seekers. He says he speaks for his supporters and for a nationalist agenda that will “make America great again.” But how does “nationalism” and his agenda align with American ideals?

First, how does Trump define “nationalism?” Is it love of country? Well, that love is called patriotism. Anybody can love his/her country without being a nationalist. I think every one of our Presidents loved America without calling themselves “nationalist.” If what is meant is a belief in the special identity of America in world history and the loyalty owed to that identity, then nationalism can align with patriotism. But, in contemporary parlance, nationalism means something more specific. For example, Trump claims that he believes in “America first” and its need to follow its own interest without regard to international alliances, multilateral trade agreements, or any norms or laws that might restrict it from “winning.” In other words, for Trump “nationalism” means that America must be the preeminent power in the world and all others must succumb to it. Therefore, his supporters owe the nation—and Donald Trump—unwavering loyalty as a result. His “nationalism” is a system of belief that demands almost absolute adherence without regard to truth or reason. It is the very definition of radicalism. And it aligns more with the leaders of the Axis Powers of the 20th century than with our Constitution or Declaration of Independence.

Second, what is the Trump agenda? I have outlined it in previous blogs: it includes the appointments of unqualified sycophants who often oppose the very institutions they manage; and it often disregards the Constitution. For example, he opposes the Constitutional provisions of citizenship by birthright, of due process, of freedom of the press, and of the Senate’s authority to approve his nomination of a cabinet level official. He wants to deport the children of immigrants, not only the DACA dreamers, but even those born here. He denies due process to asylum seekers and to their children whom he places in internment camps. He calls the press “the enemy of the people,” even restricting media access to public information and denying reporters access to formal press briefings. He has appointed an Attorney General without seeking the Constitutional authority relegated to the Senate for approval of his nominee. Further, his Executive Orders have failed to pass enumerable Constitutional and legal challenges in the courts. California alone has won 29 of those cases with no defeats. He defies the emoluments clause of the Constitution. And he threatens to use military force to defend Americans against immigrant “invaders,” even though the use of the military for domestic law enforcement violates the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act. No American President has ever run afoul of the law as much as Donald Trump. His actions defy the Constitution and the rule of law whenever they present obstacles to his authority and power. Again, his agenda resurrects 20th century history neither Americans nor global citizens would choose to repeat.

How does one justify the actions of a President who is at odds with the very structure of the American government? I believe there is no justification for his actions. But his Presidency is justified by his election. Then how do we explain this anomaly? Or why did we elect him? I believe the answer to that question lies in public opinion and belief, or more specifically, in the ability of propaganda to influence public opinion and belief. There is a quote in Yuval Noah Harari’s recent bestseller (“21 Lessons for the 21st Century”) that implanted itself in my mind: “The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly—it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.” When Hitler wrote those words in Mein Kampf, he presaged the likes of “fake news,” “enemy of the people,” “make America great again,” “America first,” “crooked Hillary,” “immigrant invaders,” and so on. Only a talented demagogue can dupe a nation and manufacture facts and evidence to support the con. Donald Trump has that talent and is making history. But when will his supporters realize the costs?

President Trump has attempted to address many real issues, such as North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, China’s unfair trade policies, NATO countries participation in their own defense, regulatory reform, and tax/deficit adjustments. History will decide the outcome of his policies, however intentioned or effective. But how will the Presidency be changed in the process? Or America’s Constitution and the rule of law survive? Is the price worth the admission to the greatest reality show of the 21st Century? Should we allow this performance to continue? My answer: NO, WE CANNOT!