America First denotes a set of policies in the United States that emphasize taking foreign policy and domestic policy decisions which serve the interests of the United States before the interests of all other nations and peoples. This typically manifests itself in policies of non-interventionism, American nationalism, and protectionist trade policy.
The term was promoted by President Woodrow Wilson in his 1916 presidential campaign that pledged to keep America neutral in World War I. A more non-interventionist approach gained prominence in the interwar period (1918–1939); it was advocated by the America First Committee, a non-interventionist pressure group against U.S. entry into World War II.
A century later, President Donald Trump used the slogan in his 2016 presidential campaign and presidencies (2017–2021, 2025–present), emphasizing the U.S.'s withdrawal from international treaties and organizations in the administration's foreign policy. Some media critics have derided Trump's use of the America First policy as "America Alone", or "Israel First".
History Origins As a slogan in American political discourse, "America First" originated from the nativist American Party in the 1850s. The motto has been used by both Democratic and Republican politicians in the United States. At the outbreak of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson used the slogan to define his version of neutrality, as did newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. The motto was also chosen by Republican Senator Warren G. Harding during the 1920 presidential election, which he won.
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) used the phrase at the organization's peak in the 1920s, when racist, xenophobic sentiment was widespread;Simins, Jill Weiss (June 20, 2019). “America First:” The Ku Klux Klan Influence on Immigration Policy in the 1920s. Hoosier State Chronicles. Retrieved February 10, 2022.Emery, David (February 9, 2018). Was ‘America First’ a Slogan of the Ku Klux Klan? Snopes. Retrieved February 10, 2022. it informed many of their members who ran for political office. The Immigration Act of 1924, sponsored by U.S. Representative Albert Johnson, was a legislative expression of xenophobia. It targeted Japanese, eastern and southern European immigrants by excluding them on the basis of ethnicity and national origin in an effort to preserve the country's existing ethnic demographics.The Immigration Act of 1924. US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. Retrieved February 10, 2022. Johnson's leading role in the immigration restriction bill elicited strong support from the KKK.Griffey, Trevor. Citizen Klan: Electoral Politics and the KKK in WA. Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
America First is best known as the slogan and foreign policy advocated by the America First Committee, a non-interventionist pressure group against the American entry into World War II, which emphasized American nationalism and unilateralism in international relations. The America First Committee's membership peaked at 800,000 paying members in 450 chapters, and it popularized the slogan "America First". While the committee had a variety of supporters in the U.S., the movement was muddled with antisemitic and fascist rhetoric. Notable Americans who supported "America First" causes include Elizabeth Dilling, Gerald L. K. Smith,Gerald Lyman Kenneth Smith (1898–1976). Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved February 10, 2022.April 10, 1946. Gerald L.k. Smith, “america First” Head, Sentenced to 60 Days in Jail. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved February 10, 2022. and Charles Lindbergh,Honoroff, Zach. Who is Elizabeth Dilling, and Why is Glenn Beck a Fan? History News Network. Retrieved February 10, 2022. while Dr. Seuss derided the policy in a number of political cartoons, linking it to Nazism.
In later periods, the slogan was used by Pat Buchanan, who praised the America First Committee and said "the achievements of that organization are monumental." Buchanan's "call for an America First foreign policy has been compared with the America First Committee."
Donald Trump
Donald Trump, who had run against Buchanan in the 2000 Reform Party presidential primaries, revived the slogan in a November 2015 in The Wall Street Journal. In its early going, the Trump campaign publicized an article by Jeff Kuhner in the World Tribune praising the candidate as a "nationalist who seeks to put America first"; campaign manager Corey Lewandowski (who later published a book with the title) promoted Trump with the phrase; and both Sarah Palin and Chris Christie featured it in their endorsements of Trump. Trump later incorporated the slogan into his daily repertoire following a suggestion by David E. Sanger during an interview with The New York Times in March 2016, borrowing it from an article that appeared earlier in the month in USA Today and written by U.S. diplomat Armand Cucciniello. In subsequent months, without referencing Buchanan's prior usage or the America First Committee, candidate Trump promised that "'America First' would be the major and overriding theme" of his administration, and advocated nationalist, anti-interventionist positions.
Following his election to the presidency, "America First" became the official foreign policy doctrine of the Trump administration. It was a theme of Trump's inaugural address, and a Politico/Morning Consult poll released on January 25, 2017, stated that 65% of Americans responded positively to President Trump's "America First" inaugural message, with 39% viewing the speech as poor.
Trump embraced American unilateralism abroad and introduced policies aimed at undermining transnational organizations such as the European Union—often deriding them on economic termsBlake, Aaron and Michael Birnbaum: "Trump says he threatened not to defend NATO against Russia," April 22, 2022, Washington Post, retrieved January 19, 2024"Trump meets with NATO leader as tensions test the alliance," April 2, 2019, Associated Press in Fox News, retrieved January 19, 2024; quote: "The president ran on an 'America First' platform and has suggested he might be willing to pull the U.S. out of NATO if member counties don't significantly boost their defense spending."Singh, Namita: "Trump refuses to commit to Nato in second term at Fox News town hall: Trump has complained in past about Nato members not upholding their end of financial commitment to alliance," January 11, 2024, The Independent, retrieved January 19, 2024—while acting or threatening to withdraw or reduce U.S. support and participation in others, including NATO"NATO Survives Trump but the Turmoil Is Leaving Scars," July 12, 2018, The New York Times, retrieved January 19, 2024 and the United NationsGladstone, Rick: "Feeling Spurned by Trump, U.N. Sees Redemption in Biden and Team: Diplomats say the Trump administration’s “America First” policy demeaned the United Nations...," December 3, 2020, The New York Times, retrieved January 19, 2024McKay, Hollie: "How President Trump delivered on a number of foreign policy pledges," October 22, 2020, Fox News, retrieved January 19, 2024; quote: "Trump doubled-down by withdrawing the United States from a bevy of United Nations agencies and institutions, such as the World Health Organization and the Human Rights Council."O'Reilly, Andrew: "Trump administration withdrawing from UN Human Rights Council," June 19, 2018, Fox News, retrieved January 19, 2024; quote: "The move... extends a broader Trump administration pattern of stepping back from international agreements and forums under the president's "America First" policy."Schwirtz, Michael: "At United Nations, Fears of a ‘New World Disorder’ as Trump Returns," September 24, 2018, The New York Times, retrieved January 19, 2024
Pursuing his nationalist but non-interventionist "America First" agenda, Trump withdrew (or threatened to withdraw) the United States from numerous international treaties and agreements, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, North American Free Trade Agreement, Trans-Pacific Partnership, Paris Climate Accords, and the Iran nuclear deal.Chakraborty, Barnini: "Trump signs executive order withdrawing US from TPP trade deal," January 23, 2017, Fox News, retrieved January 19, 2024
In 2017, the administration proposed a federal budget for 2018 with both "Make America Great Again" and "America First" in its title, with the latter referencing its increases to military, homeland security, and veteran spending, cuts to spending that goes towards foreign countries, and 10-year objective of achieving a balanced budget.
The administration branded its 2017 National Security Strategy of the U.S. as "an America First National Security Strategy". The introduction to that document reads "This National Security Strategy puts America first. An America First National Security Strategy is based on American principles, a clear-eyed assessment of U.S. interests, and a determination to tackle the challenges that we face. It is a strategy of principled realism that is guided by outcomes, not ideology."
Trump's use of the slogan was criticized by some for carrying comparisons to the America First Committee; however, Trump denied being an isolationist and said: Not isolationist, I’m not isolationist, but I am ‘America First.’ So I like the expression. I’m ‘America First.’Scholars (such as Deborah Dash Moore), commentators (such as Bill Kristol) and Jewish organizations (including the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Council for Public Affairs) criticized Trump's use of the slogan because of its historical association with nativism and antisemitism. Others have argued that Trump was never a non-interventionist. Columnist Daniel Larison from The American Conservative writes "Trump was quick to denounce previous wars as disasters, but his complaint about these wars was that the U.S. wasn't 'getting' anything tangible from them. He didn't see anything wrong in attacking other countries, but lamented that the U.S. didn't 'take' their resources" and that "he never called for an end to the wars that were still ongoing, but talked only about 'winning' them."
Trump's "America First" policy has been described as a major factor in the perceived increase in the international non-interventionism of the U.S. in the late 2010s, and various media critics such as The New Yorker have described the policy as "America Alone".
"Israel First" Buchanan was an early critic of "Israel First" political policy, arguing its incompatibility with American interests. Commentators Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson criticized Trump's support for 2025 United States strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, arguing the US should stay out of foreign conflicts. In response, Trump stated: "considering that I'm the one that developed 'America First,' and considering that the term wasn't used until I came along, I think I'm the one that decides that."
In 2025, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene opposed unconditional support for Israel and advocated for an "America only" approach. In November, Carlson characterized right-wing support for Israel as "Israel First" on his podcast. Criticisms accelerated following the start of the 2026 Iran war. Other notable conservative and right-wing critics of "Israel First" Republicans have included James Fishback, Nick Fuentes, Charles Gambaro, Megyn Kelly, Joe Kent, Thomas Massie, Candace Owens, and Joe Rogan, as well as the magazine The American Conservative. Similarly, some liberal and left-wing outlets including Bloomberg News, Slate, and HuffPost have used the term to criticize U.S. politicians for their support for Israel.
Other usage
In mid-2016, while running for a Louisiana Senate seat, David Duke, former grand wizard of the KKK, publicly claimed that he was "the first major candidate in modern times to promote the term and policy of America first" (although he was preceded by Trump).