Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield on the parallels between the rise of Donald Trump and the rise of Andrew Jackson:
A real-estate-rich, thin-skinned, temperamental, yet charismatic celebrity who runs a tell-it-like-it-is political campaign attacking corrupt elites and promising a better life for the common man is accused of being unfit to serve, but after slogging through a mud-slinging campaign, complicated by sex scandals and an electoral college kerfuffle, he shocks the establishment and thrills his supporters by thrashing his more-experienced opponent and winning the ultimate prize — the highest office in the land.
Introducing the President of the United States … Andrew Jackson?
A handful of historians (as well as our current President-elect’s alt-right confidant Steve Bannon) have pointed out the eerie parallels between Andrew Jackson and Donald J. Trump.
If we want to know how our 45th POTUS-to-be will govern, instead of analyzing every late-night tweet and Trump Tower visitation, we invite you to climb with us into a time machine and go back nearly 200 years to explore the tumultuous and disruptive Presidency of Trump’s 19th Century doppelgänger, Andrew Jackson.
Five of Donald Trump’s biggest campaign promises were also made by Andrew Jackson. So let’s keep score. Did Jackson actually keep his promises when he got into office? How did it all work out? And what can Jackson’s presidency teach us about what a Trump presidency might be like?
The big difference would seem to be that Old Hickory was a real tough military man and not a showman ( or a con man). And if you insulted his wife he’d stand up in a duel and shoot you, taking a bullet himself if he had to. BIG DIFFERENCES.
Comment by Steve.muhlberger — January 13, 2017 @ 14:51
I read Arthur Schlesinger’s The Age of Jackson many years back, and one of the few things I remembered of Jackson from the book was Jackson’s temper and the ease by which that temper could be triggered. In that regard, I do see the similarities Sweeney and Gosfield are pointing out.
Comment by Nicholas — January 13, 2017 @ 15:11