Since U.S. President Donald Trump has trumpeted his "America First" slogan, some leaders of other countries are seeking to follow suit. Given the situation in which many workers have been left behind by globalization of the economy, it may be only natural for more people to hope that their politicians would put priority on their own national interests. It must be noted, however, that, be it America or any other country, a slogan that promises to put "— first" is indeed a denial of politics itself.

What does "America" specifically mean here? Needless to say, there are diverse people and groups in a country, each with a different set of interests. There is no single magic policy that makes all members of a nation happy. It's obvious when you think of concrete policies such as the tax system, social security and deregulation.

Politics is a process whereby leaders, on the premise of such diverse interests, spell out policies that will benefit as many people as possible, and get others who may be disadvantaged to accept the policies through persuasion or by offering compensation, thereby building a consensus. Therefore, a political slogan that pledges to put "— first" without looking at the reality can easily degrade into an ideology, which carries the effect of suffocating the significance of people who will be disadvantaged by the policy. This is what I mean by the denial of politics.