WASHINGTON – The political definition of 'America First' is up for grabs. A once-exclusive slogan of the right is increasingly being deployed by left-wing candidates and potential 2028 contenders to oppose the current administration’s military partnership with Israel against Iran, explicitly arguing that the conflict drains domestic resources to benefit foreign interests.
Direct Challenge to Foreign Lobbying
At a Michigan campaign event, progressive Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed declared, "I'm the most America First candidate in the country, proudly." He outlined a direct economic case, stating, "When you keep our money here rather than sending it to some other country's war machine, that's America First." El-Sayed drew a sharp distinction with the nationalist movement, accusing the current administration of being beholden to the corporate military-industrial complex and a specific foreign interest lobby, AIPAC.
In Nebraska, independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn was more blunt, writing, "We need to be putting America first, not Israel first." Osborn framed the reliance on a foreign ally as a threat to military independence, criticizing the funding of a "useless forever war overseas" at the expense of American sovereignty.
Economic Nationalism Gains Bipartisan Traction
The rhetoric extends beyond anti-war sentiment and into industrial policy. California Rep. Ro Khanna, a presidential prospect, reintroduced a bill to ban gas exports during price spikes, framing the restriction as essential "to put America first." The embrace of domestic manufacturing is also gaining steam; Sens. Mark Kelly and Cory Booker introduced the Make More in America Act, a direct effort to reduce dependency on foreign adversaries and prioritize American labor.
"We must start with a bold agenda where our public dollars go to affordable housing and healthcare and childcare, not spent on reckless foreign wars that no one wants." — Former Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking to the Arkansas Democratic Party.
The shift reflects voter exhaustion with foreign military engagements that fail to provide direct, material benefits to the American worker. As politicians across the spectrum adopt this hard-power realism, the original 'America First' platform faces internal fractures from those accusing the administration of betraying it, while Democrats sense a clear political opening defined by ending foreign resource transfers.