Trump: ‘I’m a Nationalist’

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“You know, they have a word, it sort of became old-fashioned. It’s called a nationalist,” Trump said at a campaign event in Houston, where he rallied voters to support Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in November’s midterm elections.

“And I say, ‘Really? We’re not supposed to use that word,’” Trump continued. “You know what I am? I’m a nationalist. OK? I’m a nationalist.”

As the crowd in the Houston Toyota Center roared with applause, the president continued: “Use that word. Use that word.”

Trump’s remarks followed a rebuke of “globalists” whom he accused of putting other nations’ interests ahead of those of the United States.

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He explained: “A globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly not caring about our country so much. And, you know what? We can’t have that.”

The words “nationalist” and “globalist” — both loaded terms with sometimes sinister implications — have made their way into the popular political lexicon since Trump ascended to the White House.

The former can refer to the promotion of self-governance and one country’s interests. But it has also been associated with the “alt-right” movement, which is broadly supportive of the president’s agenda but has occasionally been accused of harboring white supremacist tendencies. And the latter label, which can imply a more economically connected world of multinational alliances, is sometimes employed by racist commentators on the internet in a conspiratorial sense as a euphemism for Jewish people.

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