It was creepy to listen to Macron and Trudeau gang up on Trump, even if only tangentially, during the weekend's WWI remembrance events in Paris. To me, both of them seem to be happy shills for corporate globalism while Trump at least acknowledges that it is the legitimate and primary role of elected governments and leaders to promote and protect the interests of their own people.
Trump admits that he is a "nationalist," albeit the meaning of that term has been altered by supposedly high-minded progressives to falsely imply an association with neo-Nazi sympathizers and the alt-right. But when soldiers were sent to fight in the very war(s) world leaders were commemorating in Paris were they not inspired by love of country? Wasn't the notion of 'king and country' a rationale for Canada's war efforts and didn't the French fight for 'la gloire de la France' - a notion American and British Commonwealth forces ultimately helped to sustain? In fact, how many times have we heard that Canada's identity was forged by its war efforts and sacrifices? Now, though, feckless politicians like Trudeau and, presumably, Macron appear to believe that there are enterprises other than national interest more crucial to global progress. The basic problem with their position, I believe, is that it negates the nature of democracy itself, which at this point in history is definitionally nation-state based. There is no such thing as global democracy and there is unlikely to be any such thing in the foreseeable future. If we give up on the notion of nation-state based democracy, are we not effectively giving up on democracy itself.
And I don't understand the concerns Macron and Trudeau raise about populism. If populism is defined as the assertion of popular will, why is it necessarily a negative thing? Isn't it a good thing that every so often governments do as they believe their country's citizens want them to do? Trudeau is an unrepentant elitist, and probably not a very bright one at that. But I thought Macron had more common sense. Oh, he says patriotism is fine, but nationalism apparently is not. Huh? The online definition of patriotism is "vigorous support for one's own country" while the online definition of nationalism is "patriotic feelings, principles or efforts." It looks to me like Macron is simply trying to be clever in opportunistically attacking Trump. Principles have little or nothing to do with it. Trudeau, though, is a mouthpiece for his usual hobbyhorses although I suspect he understands quite little about the agenda he's really promoting.
No wonder Trump was so disconnected from the weekend's events in Paris, which seemed to intended as a public relations exercise by politicians who are promoting a pernicious and deceptive agenda.