The "Again" in "Make America Great Again" refers to a past point when we were 'great', yes?

[ck4829]

When "Make America Great Again" was said... it's a short way of saying "America is NOT great right now, but if you elect me as president, then America will indeed become great AGAIN". That's an acceptable given, right?

Now in 2016, we all had different ideas of *what* that meant.

Maybe there were some, and I'm being uncharacteristically generous here, idealistic Trump supporters who thought "Make America Great Again" meant a return to some idyll life in America where we would all live in a Leave It to Beaver utopian society, that nobody would have tattoos or piercings anymore, there would be apple pies sitting on open window sills, that people would gladly say "Merry Christmas" and not "Happy Holidays", that people would be more polite, you get the picture.

And there were those of us on the left (Me included) who thought "Make America Great Again" refers to some fictional era in the Trump supporter's head of the United States where there were no Muslims, no feminists, no transgender people, no immigrants, no refugees, no black people with the gall to think their lives matter, etc. That "Again" referred to attempting to recapture that time that never really existed.

And here we are in 2020, and we are seeing that "Again", and I can say without a doubt that I don't think that in 2016, we pictured that "Again" would be a disease running rampant in the United States and you can't call on antibiotics or a vaccine to help you. Just like with other diseases of the past.

I did not ever think that the "Again" in "Make America Great Again" would refer to that.

[ProfessorGAC]

1. It's Quite The Unpatriotic Slogan

I did not believe that slogan would sell, but my mind doesn't immediately go to xenophobes & racists.
So, I missed the success of that nonsense.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. It refers to the mythical good old days when women and PoC knew their place

and weren't getting all uppity and demanding their "rights." White men ran the show and the world looked like Father Knows Best re-runs. That world never existed but they want it back anyhow.

[CaptYossarian]

3. Not Leave it to Beaver.

Think a bit earlier: Pre-1865.

It's in the context of his speeches, his body language, his inflection, and his insults.

It's the ****hole countries, his abuse of Puerto Rico, and the kidnapping of Hispanic children.

It's everywhere.

[OAITW r.2.0]

4. It was always a cheap slogan that I'm sure Trump came up with all by himself.

Something the braindead cult of Republican voters could easily remember.

[Freddie]

5. Great again

Before those uppity you-know-who’s (one who had the actual gall to be President) and women stuck their noses in the almighty White Male unquestionable right of absolute rule.
It’s a racist and sexist dog whistle.

[MoonlitKnight]

6. While once believed to reference the 1950's

It turns out they meant 1929, 1918 and 1861 all rolled into one.

[Patterson]

7. Wasn't "Make Germany Great Again" big several decades ago?