When Donald Trump ran for president on an “America first” platform, it provoked howls of outrage from the Left. That struck me as bizarre: isn’t putting America first the president’s job description?
In the years that have gone by since 2016, it has become increasingly clear that one of our major parties, the Democrats, do not put America first. In fact, they will put pretty much anyone other than Americans first. Most notably, of course, illegal aliens.
Applying the principle that actions speak louder than words, we can see that most Democrats put America last. Usually, they don’t say it out loud, but occasionally, a Democrat will say the unsayable, perhaps in a foreign language. Thus, we have Rep. Delia Ramirez, a Democrat from Illinois, telling a crowd in Mexico City–in Spanish–“I’m a proud Guatemalan before I’m an American.”
The Department of Homeland Security responded:
“There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism…Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance.”
– Theodore Roosevelt https://t.co/Jki0zCAiHG
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) August 4, 2025
Ramirez is an American citizen because she was born in this country after her parents immigrated here illegally from Guatemala. She apparently retains a fondness for illegal immigration, and holds primary loyalty to the country of her parents’ birth, not her own.
After her Mexico City comments came to light, Ramirez issued a press release. It says, in part:
No one questions when my white colleagues [Leftists believe that an appeal to race always works] identify as Irish-American, Italian-American, or Ukrainian-American to honor their ancestry. I’ve consistently expressed pride in my heritage and history – a pride also often reflected in the origin stories of my colleagues. Only those who believe America should not include the children of immigrants or be diverse would attack me – and Americans like me – for honoring my roots.
Nice try. But I have never heard an Irish-American, Italian-American, etc., announce that his primary loyalty is to the country of his parents’ birth, rather than to the United States, while serving in Congress. I am proud of my Norwegian ancestry, too, but it would not occur to me to say–in Norwegian!–that “I’m a proud Norwegian before I am an American.”
Ms. Ramirez is not especially consequential, although, to be fair, she does serve in Congress. But she is a sign of the times: the Democratic Party is no longer an American party. It is at best internationalist, and at worst–more often–anti-American.
