We live in an age of disbelief. Many of the ideas and institutions that have underpinned Americans' thinking since the early years after World War II are besieged. There is an intellectual and political vacuum into which rush new figures (Donald Trump) and different ideas (America First). These new ideas and leaders may be no better than the ones they displace — they may, in fact, be worse — but they have the virtue of being new.
Almost everything about the American election defied belief, from Trump's victory, to the Russian hacking of Democratic computers, to Trump's numerous falsehoods and smears. Could this really be happening? The campaign recalled humorist Dave Barry's famous line, "I'm not making this up."
To say that this is an era of disbelief means, quite literally, that millions of Americans no longer believe what they once believed. There is a loss of faith in old orthodoxies and the established "experts" who championed them. There are three areas where Trump suggests major departures from existing policies.