Foreign policy has rarely been a preeminent issue in US presidential elections. But the world has often been a foil for American politicians seeking to demonstrate to voters their toughness, their anti-cosmopolitanism and their nationalism. In 2016 Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great’ campaign followed that script. In 2020, his blaming of China for the coronavirus, his threat to defund the World Health Organization and his continued anti-trade, anti-immigrant, anti-NATO rhetoric are clear evidence that an appeal to ‘us against them’ sentiment, with Americans as victims of foreigners, will again be a backdrop to domestic policy debates during the campaign.
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