Democrats are not going to like this column but won't be able to refute any of it. That's the beauty of fact-finding as opposed to shallow blather. So, listen up vapid TV pundits.
Democrat icon Franklin Delano Roosevelt governed the United States in ways similar to Donald Trump. The two have much in common with exceptions for style.
Somebody revive Nancy Pelosi.
First, both were/are easily bored. Ask Eleanor. FDR had ladies on the side, a cherished stamp collection, and male confidantes who did his bidding.
Top guy was Harry Hopkins, who actually moved into the White House to bolster the President. Harry did the detail work, bringing in Ivy League buddies to help him oversee the federal departments. FDR had little interest in DC bureaucracy. Instead, he was often on the train to his retreats alongside the Hudson River, at Warm Springs in Georgia, at Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada. As Ricky Nelson once sang, old Franklin was a Travelin' Man.
FDR also flattered Joseph Stalin, Putin's evil idol. Roosevelt needed Stalin to defeat Hitler and, unfortunately, gave him the store at Yalta. FDR knew Stalin was a mass murderer but Americans wanted no more battlefield trauma. Outside of General George Patton, few wanted to take on the savage Russians in 1945.
The result was decades of Cold War.
Donald Trump is also a flatterer when he has to make a deal. In addition, he's not a details guy. He forms an opinion, selects a solution, and settles on a negotiation strategy. Hopefully, his tango with Putin turns out better than the Roosevelt-Stalin thing.
Another tendency FDR and Trump have in common is they don't much care what people think. Roosevelt was quiet about that; Trump was boisterous. Winston Churchill was appalled by Roosevelt's weakness at the end of World War II. The American President did not care what Winnie thought.
Elon Musk is the new Harry Hopkins, at least temporarily. He's the detail guy examining wasteful federal spending. President Trump admires Musk's vast success. According to a new poll, 77 percent of Americans want tax dollar expenditures scrutinized. So you might think Musk and Trump would be admired for doing that.
But no. And here is a major historical difference between FDR and Trump. Roosevelt had the American press in his pocket. Even when he forced Japanese-Americans into guarded camps, there was little media criticism.
Today, the corporate press generally despises President Trump and everything he does. It is truly amazing that American liberals are actually opposing Trump's Ukraine ceasefire efforts even though endless war is the only other alternative.
But back to similarities. Both FDR and Donald Trump were raised in wealth. That is a separate mindset from most Americans. Roosevelt was a patrician who governed from "on high."
President Trump is a populist, much more in tune with the folks. Beethoven versus the Village People. Both presidents faced enormous political problems. FDR's predecessor, Herbert Hoover, was a disaster. Joe Biden even worse.
Today, FDR is considered one of the greatest American leaders. If you are a fair-minded person, there is a chance Donald Trump might achieve high historical regard as well despite the current loathing. Lincoln had to deal with that as well.
But Trump's road to icon status will be a long and winding one. And we are all along for the ride. Seatbelts won't begin to cover it.
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