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Early American historian here re-upping @jeffreyaengel's excellent article published before the Mueller Report appeared. It's even more relevant now that we've seen the mountain of evidence testifying to Trump's "unvirtuous" actions. washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/0…
@jeffreyaengel The founding generation defined "virtue" in a very distinct manner. A virtuous person, by their definition, was someone who was willing to bracket their own self-interest in order to serve the common good. It meant being strictly adherent to the nation's institutions and norms.
@jeffreyaengel Given how many conservatives think of themselves as "originalists," it's hard for me to understand how such folks could think of themselves simultaneously as "admirers of the founders" and "defenders of Trump."
@jeffreyaengel We might decide as a nation that public spirited "virtue" isn't something we care that much about. I do, but it's fine if others don't. But if you don't care about the virtue of the nation's leaders, then don't also claim to be a principled "originalist," lover of the founders.
