Trump Turns the U.S. Into an Outcast
Donald Trump built his political identity around exclusion. In his depiction, foreigners are always scheming to steal Americans’ jobs and bring sickness and physical harm into the country. A wall on the southern border would be a visible symbol of Trump’s outlook. American exceptionalism would be nurtured through the nation’s ability to keep others out.
Trump’s unwillingness to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously is resulting in a much different kind of wall—one protecting the rest of the world from an endangered America and its citizens.
Yesterday, that, as the European Union makes plans to reopen its borders, member nations may exclude to end restrictions on travel from the U.S. across his country’s southern border. During the coronavirus pandemic, the United States is exceptional in its vulnerability and weakness. It is the hardest-hit developed nation on Earth.
