The author, Greg Twemlow, argues that the United States has been in decline since 1991, using Whitney Houston's powerful rendition of the national anthem at the 1991 Superbowl as a metaphorical representation of America's peak. He traces this decline through several significant historical events, including the Iraq War, the dot-com bubble burst, the 9/11 attacks, the 2008 financial crisis, and the rise of China as a global power. Twemlow believes that America's internal divisions, exacerbated by its political leadership, have contributed to its weakened state and suggest that the nation needs to unite and demonstrate strong leadership to overcome its challenges. He emphasizes the irony of how COVID-19, a global pandemic, has further weakened America, a nation once seen as the world's superpower.