America First: The origins of Trump’s movement | A Fareed Zakaria Special

Summary

Fareed Zakaria traces the history of “America First,” arguing that the movement is not a new break with U.S. tradition, but a recurring impulse that has competed with international engagement throughout the country’s history.

• The founding principle: George Washington cautioned against permanent alliances, a position that made sense for a young republic seeking to avoid war and protect its fragile democracy. The United States remained relatively detached from European power struggles while expanding aggressively across the continent. Thus, early isolationism coexisted with territorial conquest and the displacement of Indigenous peoples.
• Wilson and the failure of postwar internationalism: Woodrow Wilson initially sought to keep the United States out of World War I, but Germany’s attacks on American shipping drew the country into the conflict. Wilson then proposed the League of Nations to help prevent future wars. Republican opposition and Wilson’s illness helped sink the initiative; the program argues that its failure left the world without a lasting peace settlement.
• The America First Committee: In the run-up to World War II, isolationism again became popular. The America First Committee, led by aviator Charles Lindbergh, opposed U.S. entry into the war. Its support was broad, though the organization also included antisemites. Franklin D. Roosevelt gradually moved the country toward aiding the Allies despite strong opposition. Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor transformed public opinion, and the committee disbanded.
• Eisenhower and the postwar order: After World War II, the United States helped establish the United Nations, the Marshall Plan, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and NATO. Many Republicans opposed this international role, including Senator Robert Taft. General Dwight Eisenhower argued for NATO and ultimately ran for president to defend the alliance, helping shift the Republican Party toward internationalism for much of the following decades.
• Buchanan to Trump: Pat Buchanan revived “America First” in the 1990s, calling for protectionism, tighter immigration restrictions, reduced foreign aid, and less responsibility for allies’ defense. His campaigns did not win the presidency, but the program portrays him as an early signal of a shift in the Republican base. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the 2008 financial crisis, and anger at political elites helped make the message more potent. Donald Trump became its most effective messenger, challenging alliances, trade agreements, and other international commitments.
• Zakaria’s conclusion: Zakaria argues that the U.S.-led order established after 1945 helped reduce major-power conflict and expand international trade and prosperity. Citing Steven Pinker’s estimates, he says warfare and deaths from conflict fell sharply after 1945. He acknowledges U.S. hypocrisy and serious foreign-policy mistakes, but contends that American leadership helped create a more open and stable world—and that no other power is positioned to preserve it. He warns that an American retreat could bring back a more familiar world of nationalism, protectionism, insecurity, and large-scale war.

Presenters and Contributors

• Presenter: Fareed Zakaria
• Named contributor cited: Steven Pinker, referenced for estimates but not identified in the subtitles as an interviewee
• Other commentators are heard, but the subtitles do not identify them by name.