Capture the Flag
Progressive patriots can defeat Donald Trump
On July 4, 2026, Americans will celebrate our semiquincentennial: 250 years as a nation.1 Our national birthday party will likely find us in ongoing economic and constitutional turmoil. After two and a half centuries, we may once again need to declare our independence from an unwelcome monarch.
Americans should use the time leading up to these festivities to recall with pride our values, aspirations, and achievements. Progressives marinated in hostility to the very idea of America will find this a tall order. But a progressive patriotism not only repudiates Trump’s worst ideas, it is an essential element of any political coalition to defeat him.
Progressive patriotism
We need to define a full-throated progressive patriotism that is inclusive, critical, and responsible.
Inclusive. E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one) is such a core American value that we print it on our money. Every American can be proud of an inclusive national identity that embraces not shallow or symbolic gestures but diverse American histories, identities, and experiences. We can celebrate a nation that unites a people through shared ideals rather than ethnicity, religion, or narrow nationalism.
Critical. Of course, America is not always inclusive and never has been. However, a progressive patriot views these and other flaws as opportunities for meaningful change. A patriot demands that we address inequality, racism, environmental destruction, and economic injustice to create a healthier democracy.
I did not see this coming, but Nikole Hannah-Jones has emerged as a strong example of this sort of patriotism. She began her exceptional 1619 Project by claiming that slavery and anti-Black racism had always been fundamental, not peripheral, to American national identity. As historians presented evidence that contradicted this perspective, her views evolved. She is now more likely to describe the tension between the 1776 version of America, which is committed to rights, freedoms, and inclusivity, and our 250-year history as a slave society that began in 1619.
Responsible. Democracy depends on patriots who challenge authorities, demand transparency, and resist authoritarian drift. It resists blind nationalism that undermines democracy. Progressive patriots place our national pride in the service of global ethics — promoting diplomacy, humanitarianism, and a cooperative international order. USA! USA!
Patriotism makes progressives nervous
Progressives should not be less patriotic than conservatives, but we are. Since 2001, Gallup has asked US adults how proud they are to be Americans. After the September 11 attacks, 70% of those surveyed were “extremely proud”. Today, only 41% feel that way.
A troubling picture emerges when you break down the 41% “extremely proud” by party. During the final year of the Biden administration, almost 60% of Republicans were extremely proud to be Americans, compared to only a third of Democrats.
Partisan patriotism. The last eight years of data are especially stark. When Trump was in office, it is unsurprising that the share of “extremely proud” Republicans averaged 72% over four years. This share dropped to 60% during Biden's term, so some Republican patriotism probably reflects partisan sentiment.
For Democrats, patriotism is not partisan — it’s just low. During Trump’s four years in office, only 30% of Democrats declared that they were “extremely proud” to be Americans.2 You might imagine this share would rise during Biden's term in office. It did not – the average over four years remained 30%. Twice as many Republicans as Democrats were “extremely proud” during the Biden years.
Why are Democrats less patriotic, even when their candidate is in power? The answer is not mysterious to those of us who sip progressive waters.
We are critical. Progressives often focus on the dark chapters of American history. We are more apt to describe our national history in terms of slavery, Native American genocide, imperialism, and systemic racism. Emphasizing the ugly bits does little to boost our national pride.
We dislike exclusionary nationalism, especially if it is xenophobic, militarist, or racist. We are not comfortable with any overt display of patriotism that might associate us with regressive nationalistic agendas. Do we stand for the national anthem at ballgames? Maybe. Do we sing? Maybe not.
We hate imperialism. Many of us have grown disillusioned by US foreign policy. At age 19, I was spared being forced to fight a war I viewed as unwise and deeply unjust only because my birthday came up number 350 in the draft lottery. After Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan (and for some, uncritical US support of Israel’s war in Gaza), patriotic sentiment is difficult to sustain if it looks militaristic. Do educated progressives honor veterans? Sure. Do we volunteer to fight? Rarely.
We detest jingoism. Finally, the political right often claims patriotism as their exclusive domain and wields it to discredit progressive policies. This has made it harder for many of us to embrace overt patriotism because we fear our values will be misconstrued.
Unsurprisingly, Kamala Harris triggered a sizeable online backlash when her crowds chanted “USA” or she pledged, “As commander-in-chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world.” But in this case, Kamala’s tone and policies were right. The backlash was unhelpful.
The politics of progressive patriotism
The vast majority of Americans love our country. We want to love it and will passionately defend its highest values. As progressive leaders from Franklin Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr. to almost any elected leader will point out, Americans have much to be proud of. If you are unsure about this, read more history. Or, at a bare minimum, embrace American values and aspirations. You do not need to overlook our national shortcomings, but do not lead with these if you are trying to build an alternative to the MAGA right.
Trump is treasonous. It is both substantively and tactically important to point out again and again that Donald Trump is betraying American citizens, American values, and American friends.
His tariffs make America expensive, not great.
He blithely violates our Constitution that he swore to uphold.
He disrespects the judiciary, the government he was elected to run, and any American institution that might oppose him, whether educational, legal, or cultural.
He has seized and deported people without due process by declaring a phony national emergency to suspend habeas corpus for immigrants.
He punches our longstanding friends while embracing our adversaries, who laugh at him and exult in their good fortune.
Progressive patriotism can help unify a broad anti-Trump movement. It can appeal to young people, especially young men in search of a passionate cause. It can invigorate a “can do” spirit to motivate a liberalism that builds instead of blocks and gets shit done rather than fussing over process.
Patriotism is essential to win the support of rural and non-college families, especially men. These voters are fiercely patriotic, in part because they and their families have done the fighting and the dying ever since my generation got rid of the draft. We should honor them, honor our flag, and point out Trump’s continual disrespect of our warriors and veterans.
Anti-Trump Americans don’t need less patriotism. We need better, braver, and broader patriotism built around respect for American laws, reformed institutions, and enduring values. Progressives need to reclaim patriotic symbols – flags, stories, and histories not as frozen relics of the past but as vehicles for change.
Progressive patriotism can redefine national pride around inclusivity, justice, sustainability, and compassion. Patriotism can win enough American hearts for our 250th birthday and to shape the midterms that will follow four months later.
Capture the flag — and dance in the streets.
CODA
According to Wikipedia, our semiquincentennial may also be correctly called our Bisesquicentennial, our Sestercentennial, or our Quarter Millennial. This means that, on top of everything else, the next sixteen months will be a lexicological car-crash.
This appears inconsistent with the previous chart because it is an average of four annual surveys during each administration. The share of Democrats, for example, who were “extremely proud” to be Americans was 31%, in 2021, 26% in 2022, 29% in 2023, and 34% in 2024 for an average of 30%.