The novel is told from the point of view of Philip Roth as a child . It begins with aviation hero Charles Lindbergh , already criticized for his praise of Hitler 's government , joining the America First Party . As the party 's spokesman , he speaks against U.S. intervention in World War II , and openly criticizes the " Jewish race " for trying to force U.S. involvement . After making a surprise appearance on the last night of the 1940 Republican National Convention , he is nominated as the Republican Party 's candidate for President . Although criticized from the left , and hated by most Jewish-Americans , Lindbergh musters a strong tide of popular support from the South and Midwest , and is endorsed by conservative rabbi Lionel Bengelsdorf . Lindbergh wins the election over incumbent president Franklin D. Roosevelt in a landslide under the slogan ' Vote for Lindbergh , or vote for war . ' He nominates Burton K. Wheeler as his vice president , and Henry Ford as Secretary of the Interior . With Lindbergh as president , the Roth family begins increasingly to feel like outsiders in U.S. society
1940 Republican National Convention
1940 Republican National Convention
The Plot Against America