On Jan. 20, 2017, in his presidential inaugural address, Donald Trump foresaw a new era of economic nationalism.
“For many decades,” he said, “we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry. … We’ve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength and confidence of our country has disappeared over the horizon. One by one the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought about the millions upon millions of American workers left behind. The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed across the entire world.
“But that is the past. … From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this moment on, it’s going to be America First.”
Trump went on to talk about future decisions in trade being made to benefit American workers and families and about protecting the U.S. from “other countries making our products, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs.”
“Protection,” he said, “will lead to great prosperity and strength. … We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American. … At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty to each other.”