Vice President J.D. Vance provided a clear and compelling explanation of the Trump administration’s “America First” philosophy during an exclusive interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News.
Vance laid out the core principle behind the approach, emphasizing a hierarchy of responsibilities that starts at home.
“There’s this old school, and I think that it’s a very Christian concept, by the way, that you love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens and your own country, and then after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world,” Vance said.
He contrasted this with what he described as the far-Left’s inverted, foreigner-first priorities. “A lot of the far left have completely inverted that. They seem to hate the citizens of their own country and care more about people outside their own borders. That is no way to run a society.”
Vance made it clear that prioritizing American citizens does not mean hostility toward other nations but rather a leadership approach that puts national interests first.
“I think the profound difference that Donald Trump brings to the leadership of this country is the simple concept, America First. It doesn’t mean you hate anybody else. It means that you have leadership, and President Trump has been very clear about this. It puts the interest of American citizens first, in the same way that the British Prime Minister should care about Brits and the French should care about the French.”
He described the approach as a stark departure from previous administrations, highlighting Trump’s commitment to putting American citizens above global interests. “We have an American President who cares primarily about Americans, and that’s a very welcome change.”
Vance is spot on. We are finite creatures with limited resources. If we are to love our fellow man, then we must recognise a natural hierarchy of loves, and prioritize our resources accordingly.
A man ought to love his wife, and his neighbour’s wife — but certainly not in the same way. His wife, naturally, takes priority in every sense. The same is true of his children, parents, in-laws, and extended family. Hence, the closer the relationship the higher the individual or group sits on the hierarchy of loves.
When this order is disrupted or inverted, harm inevitably follows. To prioritize love for a foreigner at the expense of my neighbour is to dishonour God and harm both. By adhering to the natural, God-ordained order, our love is rightly directed and blesses those within our sphere we are called to care for.
