---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Trump uses the phrase 'America First,'…"
description: "\"Trump uses the phrase 'America First,' only dimly aware that he is repeating a phrase from the interwar years and indifferent to its historic resonance..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/franklin-foer-3604_america_trump-uses-the-phrase-america-first-only_1161869.png"
---

#  Trump uses the phrase 'America First,' only dimly aware…

![“Trump uses the phrase 'America First,' only dimly aware that he is repeating a phrase from the interwar years and indifferent to its historic resonances. But he compulsively echoes that period - another time when leaders described the world in apocalyptic terms.” quote by Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/franklin-foer-3604_america_trump-uses-the-phrase-america-first-only_1161869.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/franklin-foer-3604_america_trump-uses-the-phrase-america-first-only_1161869.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/franklin-foer-3604_america_trump-uses-the-phrase-america-first-only_1161869.png)

> “Trump uses the phrase 'America First,' only dimly aware that he is repeating a phrase from the interwar years and indifferent to its historic resonances. But he compulsively echoes that period - another time when leaders described the world in apocalyptic terms.”

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote warns that using “America First” revives interwar isolationist rhetoric without acknowledging its dangerous history.

**In simple terms:** Repeating old slogans can ignore past harms.

Key Takeaway

Recognize historical context before adopting slogans.

Themes

politics history nationalism

Mood

critical concerned

Type

analytical political

When to use this quote

- campaign speeches
- policy debates
- media analysis

Key Concepts

isolationism propaganda historical memory

Questions to Reflect On

- How does invoking past rhetoric affect current policy?
- What responsibilities do leaders have to historical awareness?

A Different Perspective

Neglecting nuance can legitimize harmful ideas.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Dimly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-dimly-3329388/) [Another time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-time/) [Apocalyptic Terms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apocalyptic-terms-3329387/) [Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Phrase America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phrase-america-3329385/) [Phrase Interwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phrase-interwar-3329386/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Trump Uses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump-uses-530713/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Even though a definite article is supposed to bring something into focus, Donald Trump uses it in a very general way. It's seen by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-zimmer/even-though-a-definite-article-is-supposed-to-bring-something-into/)

[Ben Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-zimmer/)

> [Here in the U.S. we do have a problem with a president Donald Trump who uses language in two distinctly destructive ways. One is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/here-in-the-u-s-we-do-have-a-problem-with-a-president-donald-trump/)

[Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/)

> [America faces very real challenges. The climate crisis, inequality, stagnant wages, student debt - the list goes on. Rather than address these serious problems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/america-faces-very-real-challenges-the-climate-crisis-inequality/)

[Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/)

> [I think Trump uses social media as a way to get to people's lowest common denominator. He uses it to incite fear. He talks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saikat-chakrabarti/i-think-trump-uses-social-media-as-a-way-to-get-to-people-s-lowest/)

[Saikat Chakrabarti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saikat-chakrabarti/)

> [“Building trust and community on a one-on-one level is necessary in a moment when Trump uses the word love in order to spew hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-women-s-march-organizers/building-trust-and-community-on-a-one-on-one-level-is-necessary-in-a/)

[The Women's March Organizers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-women-s-march-organizers/)

> [I believe President Trump is more reasonable than he is generally perceived. President Trump uses strong rhetoric toward North Korea, but during the election…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moon-jae-in/i-believe-president-trump-is-more-reasonable-than-he-is-generally/)

[Moon Jae-in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moon-jae-in/)

> [Music should be like making love. Sometimes you want it soft and tender, another time you want it hard and aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-buckley/music-should-be-like-making-love-sometimes-you-want-it-soft-and/)

[Jeff Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-buckley/)

> [Sometimes I think my past life was unrealized. I met a tragic end - it might have been a car over a cliff. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-ebersole/sometimes-i-think-my-past-life-was-unrealized-i-met-a-tragic-end-it/)

[Christine Ebersole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-ebersole/)

> [“Another time, twice, in fact, I tried hard to be in love. I suffered, too, gentlemen, I assure you. In the depth of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/another-time-twice-in-fact-i-tried-hard-to-be-in-love-i-suffered-too/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [I think labels for the most part want to sign new discoveries so that that label alone is seen to be responsible for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/i-think-labels-for-the-most-part-want-to-sign-new-discoveries-so-that/)

[Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/)

> [Nobody can ask me more when I try all my best all the time, no? So, you know, if I lose another time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-nadal/nobody-can-ask-me-more-when-i-try-all-my-best-all-the-time-no-so-you/)

[Rafael Nadal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-nadal/)

> [I saw Len Hutton in his prime, Another time, another time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-pinter/i-saw-len-hutton-in-his-prime-another-time-another-time/)

[Harold Pinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-pinter/)

> [I would’ve liked to have been Poussin, if I’d had a choice, in another time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cy-twombly/i-would-ve-liked-to-have-been-poussin-if-i-d-had-a-choice-in-another/)

[Cy Twombly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cy-twombly/)

> [You know what really made me sick? I was in Washington, D.C. at another time reading in a paper where the U.S. gives Byron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/you-know-what-really-made-me-sick-i-was-in-washington-d-c-at-another/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/)

[Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/)

## More by Franklin Foer

> [Once upon a time, if you were going to get a loan from me, I would have had to look at your file, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/once-upon-a-time-if-you-were-going-to-get-a-loan-from-me-i-would-have/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [“But in the end, the hackers were misunderstood figures. They wanted nothing more than to belong, to subsume their brilliant selves in an even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/but-in-the-end-the-hackers-were-misunderstood-figures-they-wanted/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [Not even Trump's father's wealth, nor his father's faith in his son's destiny, could save Trump from incessant discipline. At the age of 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/not-even-trump-s-father-s-wealth-nor-his-father-s-faith-in-his-son-s/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [If I'm reading my Facebook feed, it's using algorithms, procedures, and methods to give me what I want, or what it thinks that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/if-i-m-reading-my-facebook-feed-it-s-using-algorithms-procedures-and/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [Brazil is strewn with ruins of projects - refineries, power plants - begun but never finished. Most of this investment never landed in places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/brazil-is-strewn-with-ruins-of-projects-refineries-power-plants-begun/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [“More than any previous coterie of corporations, the tech monopolies aspire to mold humanity into their desired image of it. They believe that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/more-than-any-previous-coterie-of-corporations-the-tech-monopolies/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [In mid-2014, 51 percent of American Republicans viewed Putin very unfavorably. Two years later, 14 percent did. By January, 75 percent of Republicans said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/in-mid-2014-51-percent-of-american-republicans-viewed-putin-very/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [“The Hoover experiment, in the end, hardly realized the happy fantasies about the Engineer King. A very different version of this dream, however, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/the-hoover-experiment-in-the-end-hardly-realized-the-happy-fantasies/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [Putin has made a habit of supporting far-right candidates who undermine his foes in Europe; perhaps he never could have imagined such a character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/putin-has-made-a-habit-of-supporting-far-right-candidates-who/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [“There's a strange uniformity in the vocabulary European soccer fans use to hate black people. The same primate insults get hurled. Although they've gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/there-s-a-strange-uniformity-in-the-vocabulary-european-soccer-fans/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [Google's ability to pick winners and losers in the information world is a menace. These companies have the ability to determine which media companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/google-s-ability-to-pick-winners-and-losers-in-the-information-world/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [One of Trump's vulnerabilities is that he doesn't always vet his people, whether it's business partners, the dubious characters he retweets, or the foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/one-of-trump-s-vulnerabilities-is-that-he-doesn-t-always-vet-his/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [“The dream of stitching the world into a global village has been embodied in the nomenclature of modern technology—the net is interconnected, the Web…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/the-dream-of-stitching-the-world-into-a-global-village-has-been/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [“Soccer's appeal lay in its opposition to the other popular sports. For children of the sixties, there was something abhorrent about enrolling kids in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/soccer-s-appeal-lay-in-its-opposition-to-the-other-popular-sports-for/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

> [“As the Protestants celebrate a goal, they're egged on by the team captain, a long-haired Italian called Lorenzo Amoruso, who has the look of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/as-the-protestants-celebrate-a-goal-they-re-egged-on-by-the-team/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

[Explore all 126 Franklin Foer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

## More America quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/)

[Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

[Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Trump uses the phrase 'America First,' only dimly aware that he is repeating a phrase from the interwar years and indifferent to its historic resonances. But he compulsively echoes that period - another time when leaders described the world in apocalyptic terms.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Franklin Foer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/trump-uses-the-phrase-america-first-only-dimly-aware-that-he-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "America"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/trump-uses-the-phrase-america-first-only-dimly-aware-that-he-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/franklin-foer-3604_america_trump-uses-the-phrase-america-first-only_1161869.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/franklin-foer-3604_america_trump-uses-the-phrase-america-first-only_1161869.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/franklin-foer-3604_america_trump-uses-the-phrase-america-first-only_1161869.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Trump uses the phrase 'America First,' only dimly aware that he is repeating a phrase from the interwar…” — Franklin Foer",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Franklin Foer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Trump uses the phrase 'America First,'...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/trump-uses-the-phrase-america-first-only-dimly-aware-that-he-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/trump-uses-the-phrase-america-first-only-dimly-aware-that-he-is/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
