Will traditional patriotism make a return under Trump?

Patriotism. It’s an old word that perhaps signifies an old condition. But patriotism, while embraced by many, is being redefined by younger generations, untied to the past and devoid of experiences that would tie them to times past.

The 2016 presidential election was won by an older gentleman (70 years old) who spoke regularly of the past, uttering that he wanted to “Make America Great Again.” He won an overwhelming Electoral College victory, carrying states no Republican had won in decades. According to The Washington Post, Donald Trump won surprising demographics, according to exit polls, too, carrying white women (53 percent), getting more black votes than either fellow GOP nominees Mitt Romney in 2012 or John McCain in 2008, and overwhelmingly receiving votes from white males.

Republicans have rarely in recent times won Michigan, Wisconsin or Minnesota, but Trump did.

He won by appealing to voters’ patriotism in many respects, complaining about federal leadership, arguing against bad trade “deals” and generally disagreeing with status quo politicians and policies. Vowing to “drain the swamp” of Washington, Trump offered an appealing voice to those disaffected by left-wing policies, discouraged by inappropriate actions at the federal level, including wasted tax dollars, and convincing voters that America would change — for the better — under a Trump administration.

Using patriotic themes is not a new political phenomenon. President Franklin Roosevelt, the only president to be elected to four terms, used patriotism to help win World War II, urging ordinary Americans to “join me in this fight to win a lasting peace,” as he struggled to maintain a strategic war alliance with the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, and Great Britain led by Winston Churchill.

Patriotism has been used as a political weapon, such as when President Obama called President George W. Bush “unpatriotic” for adding $4 trillion to the national debt (Obama has added about $10 trillion to the debt in his eight years as president).

{mosads}Traditional patriotism is changing, however. A recent Harvard University poll showed that about 25 percent of Harvard students and others from the millennial generation would rather directly volunteer to help others than vote, believing their volunteering is a more effective form of patriotism than voting.

Yet voting is considered by many to be an acceptable act of patriotism, a citizenship obligation and an act important for the future of the nation of which they’re a part. In 2016, according to The Washington Post, about 130 million Americans voted, compared to 129.2 million votes in 2012. Since 2008, though, the U.S. population has increased about 18 million — but that’s not reflected in voter turnout, a sign that patriotic feelings associated with voting is diminishing.

The world is global now, with instant communication, instant electronic transactions and exposure by peoples everywhere to places and things many have never seen firsthand. Patriotism is changing, too. Children in their 30s think differently about love of country than their parents or grandparents, perhaps because many of their life experiences, while abundant, have a different, less pressurized outlook than parents who faced death and war when the younger generation hasn’t.

Perhaps it’s a sign that younger people are more global and less nationalistic than their parents or grandparents. Technology may also play a part, as better understood by younger generations, without political borders, for whom technology and modernity come easy.

The Trump presidency may expose more citizens to traditional patriotism, devoid of political correctness and tinged with increasing feelings of pride in being an American. A lot has to do with how America is doing, how citizens are faring economically and what hope we all have for the future.

Much of the electorate has hope for the future and expects Trump to govern with patriotic principles in mind. Making America great again means restoring America’s reputation around the world, achieving victories such as immigration reform, paying down America’s national debt, controlling spending, reducing or eliminating duplicative and wasteful government programs stemming the tide of illegal immigration, reforming tax laws, creating a prosperous economy — including infrastructure improvements — and not committing American soldiers to unending wars. 

If President-elect Trump and Congress can achieve such goals, America will restore a greater redefinition of patriotism, showing the world that elections truly matter.

George R. Nethercutt is a former U.S. representative from Washington state, serving from 1995 to 2005.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.