What made America great? Ironically, some of the very things that Donald Trump is promising to undo in the name of making America great again.
In the 19th century, the United States was not considered a "great power" like Britain, Russia or Austria-Hungary. But somehow it beat all of them to become the dominant global superpower by the second half of the 20th century — to the extent that it's often referred to as the American Century.
Historians all have their own theories about why this happened, but you can make a strong case for several factors that Trump has promised to roll back if elected to a second term: a fairly open immigration system that provided a steady stream of workers and spurred innovation; a strong and well-funded central government with a professional military and civil service that provided stability; and an increasingly robust democracy that allowed the country to self-correct when it went astray.
A stable government, immigration and democracy are what made America stronger than its rivals.
Liberal critics of Trump often discuss these topics in terms of values, but I'm not talking about a "shining city on a hill" in which America is a beacon of hope for the rest of the world. I mean quite simply that a stable government, immigration and democracy are what made America stronger than its rivals, giving it a vigorous economy, a powerful military and an overall resilience.
Consider immigration. In Trump's telling, immigrants are a drain on American resources, and diversity undermines the country. But in reality, immigrants provide a steady stream of workers who keep the economy humming and spur innovation. Immigrants, who contribute an estimated $2.2 trillion to the economy each year, are more likely to have an advanced degree, get a patent and start a business than native-born Americans. Just under half of the companies on the Fortune 500 in 2023 were founded by immigrants or their children, including Apple, Amazon, Google and Costco.
That's a powerful advantage that America has over countries that are less welcoming to outsiders.
Trump would undermine that advantage. He has promised to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, end birthright citizenship, reinstate a travel ban on majority Muslim countries, implement "strong ideological screening" for immigrants, revoke Temporary Protected Status for some legal migrants and reduce refugee resettlement programs, among other things. The end result would be an America much less friendly to immigrants, and much less likely to benefit from their presence.
But Trump wouldn't just turn back the clock on immigration. He's also seeking to bring the government back to the 19th century.
Trump's plan to make it easier to fire thousands of federal employees and replace them with loyalists would undo the 1883 reform that ended the spoils system and created the modern, merit-based civil service. His call for ending the federal income tax and funding the government entirely on tariffs would bring us back to the days of unstable government revenue before the 16th Amendment was ratified in 1913. And his desire for military leaders who are loyal to him would undermine the now-professional military that won two world wars in the 20th century.
When Trump promised to make America great again, many Republican voters thought he meant the 1980s or maybe the 1950s. But it's increasingly clear he intends to take the country further back than that.
When Trump promised to make America great again, many Republican voters thought he meant the 1980s or maybe the 1950s. But it's increasingly clear he intends to take the country further back than that. At a recent town hall, Trump gushed about how in the 1890s America was “probably the wealthiest it ever was” (not true). His allies dream about bringing back the Comstock Act of 1873 to block access to abortion. He’s pledged to take advantage of the Insurrection Act of 1807 to send the military into American cities. And he's talked about reviving the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to speed up deportations.
Meantime, Trump's attacks on the Constitution would take us back before 1789.
Trump has threatened to jail reporters, editors and publishers who won’t reveal confidential sources; to revoke broadcast licenses for networks whose coverage he disagrees with; and even to investigate journalists for treason. He’s attacked the judges in his civil and criminal trials as well as their families, while saying it should be “illegal” to criticize judges he favors. He has said he would be a dictator for his first day in office, called for terminating the Constitution and refused to concede his loss in 2020, leading to a deadly assault on the Capitol.
Again, set aside for a moment whether these attacks offend your values and consider that they would also weaken America.
A country without journalists ready to share uncomfortable truths, judges unafraid to rule against the wealthy and well connected and politicians willing to cede power when they lose will soon grow sclerotic. Bad ideas will flourish and good ones will be buried. Corruption will grow, adding unnecessary costs and providing poorer services, while businesses will stagnate. Meanwhile, mass deportations will reduce the workforce and tariffs will cause prices to skyrocket. And a military and civil service that cares only about pleasing the president will ignore risks, cover up mistakes and convey false strength.
If Trump wins a second term, the things that made America great in the 20th century will be unmade, one by one, and the American Century will be over.
