A characteristic of the Trump presidency is disdain for scientific evidence, historical perspectives, educated opinions and traditional alliances. These attitudes are not Trump’s own and represent longstanding mistrust of elites, experts and foreign ties. The essay questions the purpose of a society that prioritizes its comfort over the very real survival of refugees fleeing war in Syria or poverty in Central America. Americans are exhausted and manipulated, and even great wealth cannot protect them from alienation and perhaps catastrophe. The US could rise again as global leader, but only if the nation takes stock of how far it has fallen.
