The American Conservative magazine has reflected on the concept of "America First," a slogan popularized by Pat Buchanan and later adopted by Donald Trump. Despite the Trump administration's actions, the magazine argues that a genuine "America First" approach, which includes immigration sanity, trade and economic realism, and foreign-policy restraint, has not been seriously tried.
The magazine's editors believe that the current administration's policies are more akin to "Bushism" without the decency and intellectual seriousness, and that this approach has not been well-received by the public. The magazine notes that younger administration staffers are reportedly dispirited about the current state of foreign policy, but have not taken any significant action to change course.
The editors suggest that if these staffers are truly disillusioned, they should consider finding alternative employment. The magazine's criticism of the administration's foreign policy is not new, having previously spoken out against military action in Venezuela and the outbreak of the Iran War.
The magazine sees the recent midterm election results as a sign of optimism, suggesting that the "America First" policy suite still has a viable lane in American politics. The editors argue that Trump's campaign promises, which included a more restrained foreign policy and economic realism, resonated with the public, but have not been fully implemented by the administration.
The magazine believes that if these policies had been seriously tried and failed, the conversation would be different, but as it stands, there is still potential for a genuine "America First" approach to gain traction.