The genius of America’s conduct after the Second World War lay in the fact that, as the historian John Lewis Gaddis observed, Washington established “hegemony by consent.” But if you push your allies and partners to the brink in every negotiation, and present your ugliest face to the world, then this consent will evaporate.

Previous presidents have defined America’s self-interest broadly. But how can the rest of us find our place in the “America first” worldview? If Trump is not exercised by the dismemberment of a Washington Post columnist in a Saudi consulate or the detention of as many as 1 million Uighurs in reeducation camps, does anyone really believe that he cares about a few islands in the South China Sea?

Last week’s State of the Union—the reality-TV vibe, the ridiculous Space Force references, the Rush Limbaugh episode—was dispiriting. So was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s show of ripping up the president’s speech transcript. I found it sad that an impressive leader allowed herself to get caught up in that fevered spectacle.