What does it mean to be patriotic?

American national pride is at a new low. According to Gallup’s 2025 survey, only 58 percent of us feel proud to be American, a nine-point drop in just a year, the lowest number recorded in the organization’s 25 years of asking. And there’s a big divide across party lines: just 36 percent of Democrats say they’re very proud, compared to 92 percent of Republicans. And when it comes to flying the flag this July 4th? A recent Reuters poll found just 27 percent of Democrats would display one compared to 64 percent of Republicans. 

So as the country approaches its 250th birthday, we’re asking the question hiding underneath that poll: what does it really mean to love your country? 

Is patriotism about loyalty to the ideals of America’s founders? Is it blind allegiance to the country? Can you be deeply critical of your country and still be patriotic? And where is the line between patriotism and nationalism, between love of country and something exclusionary?

Guests:

Theodore Johnson, senior advisor at New America, a retired commander in the U.S. Navy and a Washington Post columnist

Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, author of The Long View (Substack), and a Foreign Policy columnist.