THE MYTH THAT BROKE AMERICA

How a national story about opportunity created a civic crisis

- ADAM CHANDLER

When President Trump delivered his second Inaugural Address, he preserved a tradition of mythmaking that has only served Americans poorly.

Beyond the expected theatrics, Trump declared the U.S. to be "history's greatest civilization," despite its fixture as the most unequal nation with the lowest life expectancy, even just among Western democracies of today. And, despite his record-thin margin of victory in November's election, the President claimed that "the entire nation is rapidly unifying behind our agenda." What's actually noteworthy about this moment, however, is a rare current of agreement among Americans.