When Donald Trump won the 2016 election and became the 45th President of the United States, America, as described by The New York Times, became a laughing stock. His administration was marked by numerous deplorable actions and statements that many have since chosen to forget: the Muslim ban, his suggestion that injecting bleach could cure the coronavirus (leading to a 121 per cent rise in disinfectant poisonings), his reference to Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries”, and his claim that there were “very fine people on both sides” following the white supremacist Unite the Right rally. He even described the January 6 Capitol insurrection, in which his supporters attempted to overturn the 2020 election, as a “lovefest”, becoming the first former US president charged with criminal offences, facing 34 felony counts, and so much more.
While some of his supporters felt pride in the version of America he was creating, most did not. According to a poll by Quinnipiac University and McClatchy-Marist, 58 per cent of Americans felt embarrassed by the former president. During his term, publications like The New York Times, HuffPost, and The Telegraph published opinion pieces by deeply ashamed Americans renouncing their allegiance to the country as a way to distance themselves from the “ugly, dark and divisive” version of America Trump had created, which became an object of global ridicule. Expressing patriotic sentiments during this period often marked someone as a Trump supporter. With the racism, hatred, and ignorance encouraged by Trump and the Republican Party – even emboldening the KKK to march openly – what was left to be proud of?
“A lot has changed in the last few years. Just two weeks ago, I was invited to Arizona to meet Vice President Harris at a massive rally, and the chants from the audience were ‘USA, USA, USA’,” climate activist and founder of Justice Environment, Saad Amer told Dazed. “That’s something we typically associate with the right, but the left is reclaiming it, and I think a large reason for that is Kamala Harris herself.” Amer makes a valid point: patriotism has traditionally been linked to the right, but since Biden took office in 2020, pro-American sentiment has increasingly been embraced by left-leaning individuals and popular culture. Despite Biden’s unpopularity, the left has found it easier to express patriotic sentiments under a Democratic president, particularly one perceived as progressive. Amer explains that Harris, as “a Black woman, a South Asian woman, and a woman proud of being American”, has made it easier for left-leaning Americans to feel patriotic.
However, the Democratic Party isn’t as progressive as many assume. One glaring example is their commitment to arming Israel’s genocide in Palestine, which has resulted in the deaths of over 44,000 Palestinians at the time of writing. In a CNN Town Hall, Kamala Harris mentioned plans to allocate $650 million in funding for the US-Mexico border wall – the same wall she criticised Trump for building multiple times during his presidency, which, as she confirmed, was also expanded under Obama and was originally initiated by President Bush in 2006. The so-called “Trump wall” was previously “Obama’s wall,” and if Harris wins, it could well become “Kamala’s wall”. Additionally, Biden’s administration has overseen the detention of migrant children, reopening a shelter established under Trump, resulting in images of children in what looks like cages. In many ways, liberals tend to feel more pride under Democratic leadership than Republican, as Democrats often mask their repugnant policies under a progressive image, while Republicans, though arguably worse, are transparent about their evil intentions.
I was invited to Arizona to meet Vice President Harris at a massive rally, and the chants from the audience were ‘USA, USA, USA‘. That’s something we typically associate with the right, but the left is reclaiming it, and I think a large reason for that is Kamala Harris herself — Saad Amer
Amer also acknowledges the flaws within the Democratic Party: “I’m a climate activist, and I actively recognise that the United States is the number one emitter of carbon, and still, to this day, we’re not reducing emissions by any of the levels that are globally needed, so it’s still very complicated.” Palestinian-American writer Maya AlZaben believes this shift doesn’t reflect a genuine desire to grapple with America’s political complexities. Instead, she argues that patriotism has been repackaged into a consumer-friendly concept appealing to Gen Z. “I’m thinking of Harris and Tim Walz’s campaign merch resembling band merch, like those camo hats similar to Roan’s Midwestern Princess hats,” she explains. “There’s something to be said about how Harris’s team uses pop culture and tour merch for Gen Z, creating a sense of belonging or ‘cult-like’ identity, idolising a political figure – and, by extension, America.“
Despite her attempts to harness pop culture, gain the backing of left-leaning celebrities, and even reach across the aisle to Republicans, Harris was defeated. Trump has now secured a second term, becoming the 47th President of the United States. What does this mean for patriotism and how we perceive America? Should we abandon hope once more and revert to the disillusionment of 2016? Is there any option left but despair?
PhD student and writer of the Substack blog Evil Female, Charlie Squire, believes in loving America in a way that focuses not on Trump, Kamala, or the American empire but rather on its people. In a now-deleted article for Haloscope, Squire writes about their feelings towards America while living in Europe: “I love America. That’s not true, but someone in Europe needs to say it to those who laugh about American healthcare, school shootings, underserved post-Fordist cities, and toxic highways.” They continue, “I don’t love America, but I love Americans and the Americana they’ve built. Americana is a system of images and symbols existentially predicated on the idea that there must be something better out there, something we cannot find but must build, something that offers relief from the violence and government malice endemic to our state. It’s irrationally optimistic, fatally individualistic, haunted by a past that never existed in pursuit of a future that will never come. I miss it. I need it to make sense of the world and myself.”
Squire, who returned to America for school, explains that they felt a responsibility to come back: “I felt like I was doing a disservice to the people who can’t leave. There are so many people with progressive beliefs and energy for change, and if everyone leaves, who’s left to use that energy within their communities?” They also challenge the idea that America is a young nation with no history, an outlook that dismisses Indigenous cultures and the deep history of Black culture, including radical and unique American contributions like jazz. “When you look at the cultural history of American folk leftism, you see that America has a long and radical history. Look at Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and Paul Robeson – artists who embody Americana. LL Bean, flannel, denim, and other symbols that convey a distinctly American, radical way of thinking and communicating.” They continue: “One of the great American leftist icons is Jane Fonda. She starred in Barbarella, and just four years later, she was photographed aiming an anti-aircraft gun in Vietnam. These artists and the political culture they shaped are rooted deeply in their time, place, and context, yet they’re often ignored to push a simplistic view of the US as a hopeless land of lazy, inept people. I don’t think that’s fair or accurate.”
America is an incredibly complex place. Its history includes the genocide and ongoing mistreatment of Indigenous people, the enslavement and ongoing oppression of Black individuals, and a disregard for poor, homeless, disabled and migrant communities, and the current the genocide of Palestinians – leading many to view the country as beyond redemption. Yet, as Squire rightly reminds us, those left behind in America are often the most marginalised, and they must be considered before we abandon hope for this deeply troubled nation. So, is it right to love America? This is a difficult question, even for Americans themselves. Perhaps it’s time to view America differently: as a place where people have fought against oppressive governments and as a country with an enduring desire for change and a profound hope to be better. In that light, there may be something worth holding onto.
