A fascinating question. Instead of talking about the USA, I think of a 'country' with a much longer legacy: China.

What is China? I go back through its history and its many iterations, from the very foundation of its culture. Over the centuries, China has expanded its territory and its territory has shrunk. It conquered other lands, and it has been conquered. And yet we, and they hold to an idea of 'Chinese'. I think if China, if Chinese, is anything it is the culture that has been passed down for thousands of years. It is the idea of China, which persisted through Mongol rule, that persisted through Mao and that exists even today.

What is the U.S.? I think, extrapolating from my look at China, the U. S. is an idea. It is not racially or ethnically uniform (neither is China). It is an idea that was born in 1776. It is an idea that has inspired people like me for centuries, an idea that has inspired constitutions and popular movements around the world.

Is that idea dying or dead? It is not about this president. He is a catalyst, or maybe a symptom. Has the culture changed? Not in me.