President Trump on Monday declared himself a “nationalist” as he railed against Democrats and “globalists” who put the wellbeing of the world over the country.
At a raucous campaign rally in Houston, Trump warned supporters that Democrats will seek to restore influence to “corrupt, power-hungry globalists.”
{mosads}”You know what a globalist is? A globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly, not caring about our country so much,” Trump said. “And you know what, we can’t have that.”
The crowd began booing as Trump moved on to his preferred descriptor.
“You know, they have a word. It sort of became old-fashioned. It’s called a nationalist,” he continued. “And I say, ‘Really, we’re not supposed to use that word?’ You know what I am? I’m a nationalist. … Use that word.”
The crowd broke out into chants of “USA” in response.
Monday’s rally marked a rare instance where Trump explicitly described himself as a “nationalist,” a label that has drawn criticism and concern from some U.S. and foreign lawmakers.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has frequently alluded to the rise of “phony nationalism” in his many critiques of Trump since the president took office.
The late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) made similar remarks in a 2017 speech at the National Constitution Center, where he lamented that the U.S. was relinquishing its leadership role abroad in favor of “some half-baked, spurious nationalism.”
The president has long touted his desire to put “America first,” railing against global alliances like NATO and the United Nations and recently threatening to cut aid to Central American countries that he lamented “did nothing for us.”
Trump’s rhetoric has led to anxiety among world leaders that the U.S. will recede from its role on the global stage.