By Josefin Dolsten April 27, 2016

A slogan Donald Trump used in a Wednesday foreign policy speech hearkens back to a phrase used by American aviator Charles Lindbergh, who argued for American neutrality against the Nazis.

The “America First” motto, which Trump employed Wednesday, was also used by Lindbergh to argue against American involvement in World War II, wrote Bloomberg columnist Eli Lake.

Trump said he would “always put the interests of the American people first. That will be the foundation of every single decision I will make. ‘America first’ will be the major and overriding theme of our administration.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Lindbergh organized “America First” groups that lobbied to keep the U.S. out of the war.

The famous pilot argued for an isolationist foreign policy stance, and accused president Franklin Roosevelt of conspiring with Jewish groups and Britain to promote American involvement in World War II.

Some of Trump’s policy suggestions, such as decreasing defense support to NATO allies, suggest similar isolationist ideals, Lake wrote.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount