First, the article considers how the framing of America First successfully exploited a long-standing gap between public opinion and the foreign policy establishment in on the extent of American global engagement. Second, the article explores how America First has combined populist anti-elitism with nationalist anti-globalism, establishing hostility towards the liberal international order as its most significant, consistent and politically relevant theme. In its emphasis of Jacksonian unilateralism and neoconservative primacy, America First, at the same time, has promoted a considerable degree of continuity, resulting in a persistent disconnect between populist rhetoric and foreign policy practice. Third, the article concludes that America First has successfully challenged the bipartisan elite consensus on liberal hegemony and the ideological dominance of the foreign policy establishment, significantly widening the legitimate space for debate on alternatives to American grand strategy.