Exceptions to the bridge-burning are few but they are ugly. Countries that Washington has enhanced ties with are places such as Hungary, Italy, Poland and Turkey. They all have something in common: authoritarian nationalist leaders.

Mr. Trump has good reason for some of his initiatives; for demanding fairer trade relations with China; for going after more defence spending from NATO countries; for a more confrontational approach to places like Venezuela.

But there is no basis for an upheaval in foreign relations driven by America-First resentment. With the economy robust, with wages going up, with the country fully employed, the notion that the United States is some poor boy being done in by foreign predators is so much rubbish.