The distinction between the two candidates is another indicator of how Trump’s candidacy has caused the Republican party to cede a message it once featured prominently as a way to appeal to voters, only to see that message loudly taken up by the Democrats.

Republican lament over that phenomenon was prominent during the Democratic and Republican conventions. “American exceptionalism and greatness, shining city on hill, founding documents, etc—they’re trying to take all our stuff,” Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review tweeted during the Democratic National Convention. Watching Clinton promote American exceptionalism while their own standard-bearer shuns the concept must be uncomfortable for many Republicans, if not downright painful.

The way Trump describes it, America is under siege from immigrants and refugees. The United States has been taken advantage of by its so-called allies, and lost what made it great somewhere along the way. For Trump, America can be great again, or put another way, the country can reclaim what makes it exceptional, by putting up defensive walls and re-evaluating the extent of foreign entanglement.

For Clinton, America is already great, and as a result of that exceptional quality, the country must not shirk leadership on the world stage. “When we say America is exceptional,” she said on Wednesday, “ it means that we recognize America’s unique and unparalleled ability to be a force for peace and progress, a champion for freedom and opportunity.” Clinton assured the audience that the U.S. should deploy troops only as a last resort, but warned that “we can’t lose our military edge.”

Trump makes it difficult for the GOP to credibly assert a commitment to American exceptionalism. His candidacy also makes it harder for Republicans to attack Democrats for not believing in the concept. That has been a common conservative criticism of President Obama, but it won’t likely be a convincing attack of Clinton.

Now, exceptionalism is an idea Clinton can use against Trump. “My opponent in this race has said very clearly that he thinks American exceptionalism is insulting to the rest of the world,” Clinton said on Wednesday. Her remarks took place the same day Trump is scheduled to meet with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in Mexico. Clinton had a response to that too, saying you “can’t make up for a year of insults by dropping in our neighbors for a few hours and flying home again.”

Clinton’s eagerness to talk about American exceptionalism draws attention to the extent to which she too represents a departure from the foreign policy vision of many Democrats. The former secretary of state is famously more hawkish than Obama, who has shown himself to be wary of what he deems unnecessary or counterproductive foreign entanglements. Clinton voted in favor of the Iraq War after all, while Obama spoke out in opposition.