Opinion Today: What is an American?
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Opinion Today
December 17, 2025
Two Uncle Sam characters standing back to back.
Sebastian König

Notable

Groyperism isn’t conservatism. It’s anti-Americanism. “As one of the most vocal opponents of left-wing identity politics, I now see real reluctance from my former anti-woke peers to criticize the new identity politics on the right.”

— Vivek Ramaswamy, the author of “Truths: The Future of America First”

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The movie I was afraid to see. “The most important word in this film is “coordination.” This word is whispered and yelled, mouthed with desperate need, shouted with disdain, and called forth as though it were a magic spell.”

— Masha Gessen, Opinion columnist

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Chile’s new leader wants to rewrite the past. “Some might call his rise just one more alarming case of a worldwide trend toward nativist authoritarianism — and it is. But the attendant rehabilitation of one of the continent’s most infamous autocrats is a particularly agonizing setback in a country where many considered the long struggle for democracy to have been won.”

— Ariel Dorfman, a Chilean-American writer

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Each year, The New York Times Communities Fund supports nonprofits. This year, the fund is working with seven organizations that focus on helping people through education, from preschool to vocational training. Donate to the fund here.

ICYMI

Maisie Cowell

The 13 Best Gifts You Can’t Click to Buy

We asked readers to tell us about the most memorable presents they’ve received.

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More in Opinion

Guest Essay

Australia Can’t Recover From This

The victims were let down by a government whose role it is to do what individuals cannot: keep our nation safe from terrorism and mass shootings.

By Alex Ryvchin

A file photograph of Rob Reiner.

Guest Essay

What Rob Reiner Told Me the Last Time We Spoke

In life and art, he was the successor to Norman Lear.

By Todd S. Purdum

President Trump leans forward across a lectern while a portrait of Ronald Reagan hangs behind him.

Jamelle Bouie

The Man Who Rules the Country Presides Over Nothing

Why are the Supreme Court and Congress conspiring to give him more power?

By Jamelle Bouie

A woman with gray hair holds a gray and white cat.

A Vibrant Community for New York’s Seniors

For people like Ms. Otts, an online community can be lifesaving.

By The Editorial Board

A red “prohibited” symbol painted over the circle of a male symbol.

Ross Douthat

There’s a Simpler Explanation for the Rightward Shift of Young Men

Does discrimination drive alienation?

By Ross Douthat

President Donald Trump, wearing a black suit, walks alone through a large, shadowy room.

Bret Stephens

Our Petty, Hollow, Squalid Ogre in Chief

The White House has never had a more loathsome occupant.

By Bret Stephens

A man wearing a dark suit and a somber expression walks past flags, toward a podium.

Guest Essay

Donald Trump May Be About to Pick the Least Important Fed Chair in Decades

Consensus may be a thing of the past. And that’s good.

By Jason Furman

Director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, at a Kennedy Center Honors gala. He’s wearing a black suit with a black tie and she’s wearing a black dress with a black jacket.

letters

Rob Reiner’s Legacy Will Outlast Trump’s Toxic Talk

Readers mourn Rob Reiner and take offense at the president’s crude response. Also: America snubs its allies; phone scams; former President Joe Biden’s library.

Guest Essay

Stephen King: Why I Hugged Rob Reiner After Watching ‘Stand by Me’

In Rob’s hands, my most autobiographical novel rang true.

By Stephen King

In Your Words

Re: “Donald Trump’s Cowboy Diplomacy

Any person who negotiates on behalf of our nation should do so in an official capacity, so that proper/official support and constraints are in place. America is not a business. We don’t want cowboys in positions of governance. We want informed, steadfast individuals who are trained and whose primary goal is to serve the interests of the people. — A comment posted by Brimming Over from Charlotte

Read more comments on the story here and check out our Letters to the Editor.

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