Obama is reframing the concept of American exceptionalism

Obama’s New American Exceptionalism

At the Democratic convention, the president framed America as a shining city on a hill—under constant construction.

Barack Obama is a tinkerer and a poet in whose hands the concept of “American exceptionalism” is being reshaped for the 21st century and weaponized against Trumpism.

First used with respect to the United States by Alexis de Tocqueville, the concept ofAmerican exceptionalism is that this country differs qualitatively from other developed nations because of its national credo, ethnic diversity, and revolution-sprung history. It is often expressed as superiority: The United States is the biggest, most powerful, smartest, richest, and most-deserving country on Earth.