In chapter 9, Hanson discusses Trump’s role as a crude messenger in the white house. He begins by addressing the criticisms and fears of liberals and Never-Trumpers with having someone so uncouth and vulgar in the White House.
Hansen responds to this by putting Trump’s vulgarity and actions in context with other presidents. He points out that Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton all regularly had scandals and problems that were much more newsworthy than Trump’s. Both Wilson and FDR experienced significant health crises that were hidden from the American public, and Kennedy and Clinton’s sexual escapades were in many cases allegedly illegal. In comparison to many of his predecessors, Trump’s wrongs are far below that which the country has previously tolerated.
Hansen also points out that there has not been a correlation between the moral character of the president and their performance in office. Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter were both moral men who maintained their character in office. They are also among the most ineffective presidents in recent American history. Other presidents previously noted for their moral shortcomings were highly effective in governance.
Hansen cites the example of Harry Truman who was crass, offensive, and sometimes even threatened his detractors with violence. A political outsider, he went against the advice of many of his aides and higher-ups in government institutions to pursue the policy that he wanted. Many of Truman’s attacks and insults wring with a Trumpian sound, and Hansen points out that Truman was a highly effective president in spite of his character; Trump can achieve a similar feat.
2 replies on “Hansen Ch9 ERA”
I find it interesting how Hanson places Donald Trump in comparison with the other presidents such as Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton who had scandals just like him. I find this necessary to recognize as we view how many think occur in the public eye more often in our modern age now more than ever, which has a great influence on how all of these scandals are perceived. Many presidents in the past had even more noteworthy scandals than Trump did, but his are more likely to be put on blast as it is so easy to do with our modern technologies and social media. It causes me to question how past presidents such as John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton and both of their most likely illegal sex scandals would have been handled by the media and influenced their careers.
Furthermore, I find it interesting how Hanson points out that many past presidents have acted immorally but were still great presidents. We must look aside from many of these presidents wrong doings and look at many of the great things they did achieve. Although, we cannot look past how presidents acting immorally does have an influence on the general population. The president’s actions have a great effect on the opinions and actions of the people who watch them. President Trump making fun of a reporter’s disabilities is not acceptable and he must be held accountable for this, regardless of whether or not it is believed if he is a good or bad president. Something such of this is seen in the public eye and may influence the actions of those he viewed this. Although there was a backlash that people could recognize and learn from, it is detrimental to people’s opinions on whether or not it is socially acceptable to do this as it is far from okay or anywhere near acceptable. This specific action was not forgotten and we can only hope everyone recognizes how unacceptable this display of Trump’s was.
Trump is a very outspoken individual. His long and extensive career as a celebrity before his presidency did nothing but boost his ego and permit him to live above the moral standards of many ordinary United States citizens. As a result of this background, I do not think it is entirely fair that we treat him in the same light as say a Jimmy Carter or Gerald Ford. Aspects of Trump’s personality, such as his propensity to tweet and relatively unchecked commentary, are what the American people voted into the white house. It was not as if Trump underwent a dramatic transformation upon taking the presidential oath, but rather did nothing more than stay consistent to what he was doing before accepting the presidency. And on another note, it is precisely this boisterous personality that has allowed him to be an effective president thus far. In the real of foreign policy and trade, very few other presidents in modern history would have been able to stand up to China and dare to enter a trade war in order to negotiate a better deal for the United States. No matter where you stand on the issue or Trump, that was a feat which was promised and fulfilled by Trump. A Jimmy Carter or Gerald Ford would never have made, let alone follow through, on such a bold and ambitious proposition. Unfortunately, it is this same uncut nature of Trump’s personality that has led to a variety of uncouth comments that have brought so much negative media attention to his past. And while these are inexcusable, they were ultimately just a cost of electing a non-career long politician into office.