A smattering of journalists and political commentators mocked the president this week after he boasted accurately that the United States and Italy share a political heritage that can be traced all the way back to Ancient Rome.
“The United States and Italy are bound together by a shared cultural and political heritage dating back thousands of years to Ancient Rome,” said Trump during a joint press conference with Italian President Sergio Mattarella. “Over the centuries, the Italian people have blessed our civilization with magnificent works of art, science, philosophy, architecture, and music.”
He added, “Today, the United States and Italy draw strength from our cherished heritage, as we work together to safeguard our people and promote prosperity.”
There is nothing wrong with what the president said. It is a fine statement — surely a throwaway added by some speechwriter and firmly based in historical fact. It could have just as easily come out of the mouth of any president, including Barack Obama. But it’s Trump uttering it, so you can count on #Resistance trolls to reveal their ignorance.
“Dude said the US (est. 1776) has been friends with Italy since ‘Ancient Rome,’ (est. 753 BC),” said everyone’s favorite concern troll and Media Matters for America editor Parker Malloy.
Vox super-genius Aaron Rupar noted sarcastically, “Who can forget when Caesar helped the American armies secure Dulles Airport during the Revolutionary War?”
“He literally said the US & Italy share heritage dating back thousands of years to Ancient Rome 2 days after the 527 year anniversary of Columbus’ arrival,” gloated noted Twitter troll and political commentator John Fugelsang.
There is more where that comes from, but it is mostly from people even more obscure and inarticulate than even the individuals named above.
So … do these people really not understand the origins of “democracy” and “republic”? Does Trump’s existence just render them all this dumb?
America’s founding was influenced heavily by both the ancient Romans and the ancient Greeks. This is not even American Civics 101. This is basic, middle-school stuff. The very concept of elected government officials goes back to the ancient Roman Republic — the res publica or “public thing,” which in its time was unique.
We elevate civic heroes like Cato, Cicero, and Cincinnatus for a reason. (Cincinnati is more than just a weird word; it is named after one of Republican Rome’s great heroes.) Our nation’s capital is like one big love letter to the Romans. For goodness’ sake, the U.S. Supreme Court building is even modeled after a Roman temple. Speaking of which, the basic setup of the U.S. Supreme Court tracks closely with the model embraced by the ancient Romans.
A 100-man Senate. Ours is not the first. You may have heard of this before.
That presumably educated Americans appear to be unaware that the U.S. does indeed share in Rome’s political heritage — a heritage that modern Italy also shares — is a greater indictment on the current state of things in this country than anything Trump said or did this week.
