One of the biggest misconceptions in our politics today is that the United States does things for – and gives things to – other countries just to be nice. The story seems to be that the billions and billions we give to people in other countries (which equals less than 1 percent of the federal budget, by the way) is nothing more than a wasted gift given to foreigners while the American people get nothing in return as we suffer through our own problems here at home.

 

This perception is not only naïve; it’s dangerous.

 

The national security of the United States depends on three things. Not one, three: diplomacy, defense, and development. It’s true that being a world leader is an enormous responsibility and sometimes costly, but being one gives us tremendous advantages. That we take this privilege for granted – and are inadequate stewards of our rare position in this world – are huge understatements. Somewhere down the line, we started taking American exceptionalism for granted, believing we are somehow owed this honorable distinction instead of understanding that we must continually earn it.

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No more! Anyone who believes we can keep our superpower status without generosity, diplomacy and humility needs to think again. That is exactly what the Greeks, Spanish and Romans thought, and they are now named in history books as failed empires. We better stop thinking their fate can’t happen to us, because it absolutely can.

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As we look around the world and see the overwhelming number of complex and far-reaching threats, I get the temptation to turn inward. But we don’t have the luxury of being like the ostrich that sticks his head in the sand to avoid danger. Denial is tempting but, sadly, just because we wish the threats weren’t there doesn’t mean they’re not there. They are.

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… which means, to promote stability and protect our homeland, we have to commit to advance our ideals and interests around the world, and understand that we need our allies as much, if not more, than they need us. Far from being a drag on America, foreign assistance, multilateral international institutions, and positive relationships with our allies are, to use a military term, force multipliers – meaning, they magnify our strengths and allow us to leverage our investments, advancements, and safety.

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Being happy-go-lucky people, we absolutely hate being buzz kills – and it gives us no pleasure to scare the bejesus out of everyone – but between Africa, Ukraine and the Middle East there is more armed conflict happening in the world than at any time since World War II. Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks, which use a burst of high-energy electromagnetic energy (radiation) to damage infrastructure and other electronic systems, are a growing concern. Cyber warfare has created an entirely new battlefield. A Chinese government-affiliated hacking group, Salt-Typhoon, launched an unprecedented espionage campaign between 2020 and 2024 that compromised over a dozen telecommunications companies, including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Lumen Technologies. Targeting U.S. wiretap systems, the hack gave the Chinese unparalleled access to our foreign-intelligence surveillance systems. Other Chinese “typhoon” threats include Volt Typhoon, which targets U.S. infrastructure, and Flax Typhoon, which targets routers, cameras and other internet-connected consumer devices (“typhoon” is the name used by Microsoft to differentiate between various Chinese-backed cyber campaigns/threats).

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Biological weapons present an increasingly significant national security threat. We must look no further than the social disruption, economic devastation, and millions of deaths caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 to understand just how serious this is… and COVID-19 is nothing compared to the microbes and pathogens Russia and China are actively exploring. The Washington Post reports that recent satellite images reveal Russia has reopened Sergiev Posad-6, a center used for viral biological weapons research during the Cold War. Back then, Russians used the facility to conduct experiments using viruses that cause smallpox, Ebola and hemorrhagic fevers. They are now expanding the compound, building labs that appear consistent with top-secret, high-containment biological facilities designed to handle hazardous pathogens (Russia has publicly confirmed they will use the labs to study deadly microbes to prevent future pandemics and for national security purposes).

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For these reasons and many more, President Trump’s aggressive moves toward isolationism are not only dangerous, but they are also a massive waste of time and global goodwill – because isolationism will never be a long-term option for the United States. Really think about it: If America had chosen isolationism in 1941, the Empire of Japan’s and the Nazi’s chances of victory would have skyrocketed… and back then, we didn’t even have the transportation, satellites, undersea cables, and Internet that now tether us even closer to the rest of the world.

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Today, if we disengage from the world and forfeit our role as an international force, autocratic leaders will race to fill the void. Can you imagine what would happen if Xi Jinping had a free pass at Taiwan and then decided he also wanted the Philippines? Or if we gave Putin free reign to charge through the rest of Eastern Europe, and then through the Balkans? Or, if allowed autocracies to join together to achieve world domination – something that is already happening, as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea solidify their “We Hate America” club. Worse, it’s not just the haters we have to worry about anymore. As soon as Donald Trump and his big mouth won back the presidency, many of our long-time allies and partners started exploring alternatives to the United States – even before his January 20th inauguration.

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We don’t understand why there is a debate around what we're saying. Just look at what a collaborative, compassionate, and supportive United States has achieved around the globe. We are the country that initiated the Lend-Lease policy, which helped defeat Germany, Japan, and Italy in World War II by providing food, weapons, oil, and other supplies to the United Kingdom, China, the Soviet Union, and France. We are the country that enacted the Marshall Plan, enabling Europe to rebuild after years of the deadly and devastating war.

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With our support, South Korea evolved from an extremely poor, vulnerable autocracy to a vibrant, healthy democracy – as did Japan. China was able to integrate into the global economy, helping reduce poverty for billions of people. Around the world, our support and security have provided many countries the opportunity to foster democratic governments and strong economies. We were instrumental in creating landmark international organizations like the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. We crushed the Cold War and stopped communism in its tracks. We spent billions to fight HIV in developing countries, which provided millions of people antiviral drugs and prevented hundreds of thousands of babies from being infected with HIV at birth. High five, America!!

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And we didn’t do these things just to be nice. We did these things to put us in a position to create a new world order…which we did. When the United States helped save a crippled Europe after World War II, we not only rebuilt the global order to our advantage but also repaired and strengthened alliances around the world. The global rules, institutions, and alliances that emerged from this period are the foundation of our modern-day international structure, a structure that – contrary to what Donald Trump screams and shouts – still significantly benefits the United States.

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1787’s vote is that we make the United States of America the Gold Standard again… for America to be a country that has unimpeachable integrity… for America to be a country that takes tremendous pride in our accomplishments but that is empathetic and supportive of those with less opportunity. Our vote is that the United States of America be a country committed to the rules-based international world order that has successfully governed peace, security, democracy and prosperity since World War II, and one that defends the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country… for America to be a country that is once again the go-to nation during an international crisis – not to foot the bill for everyone, but to offer bold solutions and coordinate multilateral responses.

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1787’s vote is for the United States to once again be a country that champions human rights around the world… one that works to improve the factors that enable violent extremism such as poverty, inequality and repression by creating economic advancements for those around the world who don’t have the opportunities we are blessed with… one that always strives to honor the motto of the U.S. Special Forces: De Oppresso Liber…To Free the Oppressed….. and anytime anyone asks why we think we should be the world’s savior? We say: Because we’re the United States of America, and it’s our privilege.

 

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But as much as anything else, our vote is for the United States of America to once again be a country that is a reliable and trustworthy partner… one that is fiercely loyal to our allies. We vote for America being partners with other countries. This does not mean we should give up our title of being a global leader (actually, still the only global leader if we don’t screw it up), but mutually beneficial global partnerships will, again, only strengthen our position.

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The way our friends were treated during Donald Trump’s first term – and how they are being treated now – is horrifying, and completely unacceptable. Foreign policy is not a zero-sum game. Being a loyal ally and putting “America First” don’t have to be mutually exclusive endeavors. We can be faithful to America without insulting (and abandoning) the entire world. America First doesn’t have to mean America Alone.

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Our greatest responsibility as Americans is to preserve and protect the very reasons that America is actually great, and to make sure our light shines far beyond our shores. Notice we said let our light shine, not arrogantly try to dominate the entire world by acting superior and bossing everyone around. Donald Trump is making our nation look smaller and weaker, not bigger and stronger. It’s unnecessary for America to be a bully. It’s unnecessary for America to be threatening and hostile. It’s unnecessary for America to be arrogant and petty. America does not need to overtly flaunt our strength because we are actually strong.

 

Compare this to President Trump’s isolationist, transactional, and conditional approach to foreign policy. Instead of strengthening and solidifying our position on the world stage, he is hell-bent on tearing everything down without replacing it with anything more substantial than incredibly disrespectful Oval Office meetings, super hostile press conferences, and insulting social media posts.

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It’s not just the policies he initiates or fails to initiate, it’s also the mixed signals, the reversals, the inconsistencies and contradictions, the trashing of our intelligence agencies, the dismantling of key global agreements, the breakdown of our relationships with our allies, and the outright lies that cause so much harm. It’s the complete absence of risk versus reward analysis, serious deliberation with experts, or even the most rudimentary inquiry into potential consequences.

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In the first three months of his second presidency alone, President Trump has embraced Russia, rebuked Ukraine, and snubbed Europe. He falsely claimed Volodymyr Zelensky started the war with Russia when it was Vladimir Putin who ruthlessly and illegally sent his troops into sovereign territory on a murderous rampage. In a 21st-century version of U.S. imperialism, he has absurdly staked claims to Gaza, Greenland, the Panama Canal and, oddly, Canada, and started highly destructive and insulting trade wars. At the same time, Vice President JD Vance traveled to Germany, where he condescendingly lectured the Europeans about their retreat from “traditional values” – while meeting with, and complimenting, the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, who many accuse of aligning, at least on some level, with Nazism.

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All of this would be bad enough if Donald Trump’s authoritarian, tough guy approach works, but it doesn’t. His mode of operation only serves to alienate our allies and embolden our potential adversaries, handing authoritarians around the world – whether Chinese, Turkish, Saudi, Russian, or North Korean – almost all of America’s leverage without getting anything of consequence in return.

 

The first time around, China called his bluff on trade and Kim Jong-un essentially shot him the bird as North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles and rockets, conducted ground tests at its nuclear test sites, and increased production of long-range missiles and the fissile material used in nuclear weapons. Venezuela, Turkey and Russia got in the habit of pretty much ignoring anything we had to say. Iran not only resumed its nuclear program but it’s now scarier than ever before. The “peace deal” the Trump administration signed with the Taliban may be the worst agreement in the history of agreements. He can blame Joe Biden all he wants, but Donald capitulated to every single one of the Taliban’s outrageous demands … to the point where, in our final days in Afghanistan, the Taliban were giving us – THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – orders, like we were their bitch.

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Meanwhile, while Donald was shaking his tail feathers, China was investing in new strategies and technologies to exploit our weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and Xi Jinping was carefully cultivating military and diplomatic alliances around the world – all while undermining the United States at every turn. China also made it a priority to boost its geopolitical standing through increased outreach as well as providing vulnerable countries with things like medical supplies and vaccines. “Gracias China!!!,” Mexico’s foreign minister posted to Twitter after China – now the second-largest trading partner in Latin America – sent a planeload of masks, testing kits, and ventilators during the COVID crisis.

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Donald Trump has shaken the world’s fundamental assumptions about American exceptionalism and called into question the special role we have played around the globe for decades – to the point President Emmanuel Macron of France declared that Europe faced “irreversible changes” from America. 

 

That’s not true. If we start now, there is time to get it all back.

 

In 2023, Governor of Illinois JB Pritzker gave what is without a doubt the best commencement speech ever at Northwestern University:

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