Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) defended “American nationalism” in an interview with Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson Wednesday evening, arguing the political ideology is “deeply rooted in moral and values.” Rubio’s remarks follow French president Emmanuel Macron’s rebuke of nationalism during a centenary commemoration of the First World War Armistice over the weekend, in which he called the ideology a “betrayal of patriotism and “treason.” President Trump declared himself a nationalist during a campaign rally in Houston, Texas with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). “A globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly, not caring about our country so much,” President Trump said before attendees. “You know what I am? I’m a nationalist. Okay? A nationalist. Use that word.” A partial transcript is as follows: CARLSON: I want to ask you about the question of nationalism. The president described himself as a nationalist recently. He was attacked by the leader of France for doing that. You recently published a Wall Street Journal op-ed defending the idea of nationalism. Why is nationalism a necessary concept in modern America? RUBIO: Well, American nationalism. What is our identity? Our identity, if not a common race, ethnicity. In fact, America is a de facto rejection of that. It is fundamentally premised on this notion, “we are all children of God, we are born, all created equal by our creator, and given equal rights to life, liberty, and to pursue happiness. That is our national identity. It is deeply rooted in morals and values. It, in fact, explains everything this… [Read full story]
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