The belief in American superiority poisons nearly all public debate in the United States. In recent months, the effect of this belief has become painfully clear in respect to the debate surrounding the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) — a debate, in which opponents and proponents alike refract their arguments through thick lenses of American nationalism. Such rhetoric is compatible with a goal of U.S. global hegemony, but not democratically cosmopolitan values of equality. To fully comprehend the deal, which was finalized October 5, 2015, and for the possibility of a change in paradigm in the American trade debate, such nationalism must cease. Otherwise, future debates regarding trade will follow the same tragic path as the TPP: a path that leads to increased global inequalities.