Based on history and culture, every nation is exceptional. What makes American exceptionalism unique is its focus on politics and the belief that it can and will work everywhere in the world. Historically, Americans have argued that what some call bourgeois freedoms are universal rights, and that any country that observes them will thrive. This belief in universal rights, and America’s obligation to enforce them, has led us into a number of quagmires, but it has also resulted in greater freedom and prosperity in most of the world.
National conservatives don’t believe in that version of American exceptionalism. To them, American exceptionalism revolves around history and culture; in that sense, it is the same as Russian or Chinese or Israeli exceptionalism. The rest of the “America First” agenda follows naturally from that premise. Why would America fight for universal rights if they aren’t universal, but arise from a specific set of historical circumstances that aren’t present in most of the world?