The meaning of patriotism in the United States was raised during a tense moment this summer, when President Donald Trump accused four ethnic minority women in Congress of “hating America” and inviting them to “leave it” if they “aren’t happy here,” after they challenged their Democratic Party leaders on immigration policy. Democrats (and a few Republicans) strongly objected, saying essentially that Trump’s idea of patriotism is, in reality, racism.
One subtext of this confrontation was whether criticism of the U.S. is fundamentally anti-American or, rather, expected behavior in a democracy where citizens have free speech. CONT.
V. Lance Tarrance, Gallup