JFK, Nixon, Reagan, and Trump: a comparison

[Pat Speer]

I noticed a trend a few years back where people attracted to Trump were comparing him to JFK. I have also seen comparisons of him to Reagan. I can't see this. So I thought it would be useful to list what I see as the differences in the men, and am hoping others can do the same without the usual vitriol. I am merely trying to understand the divide.

 

JFK... Personally liked by both parties. Proposed policies that were helpful to people of color, to members of organized labor, and people from poor economic backgrounds. Wanted to expand personal rights. Tried to limit collateral damage from our foreign policy. 

Nixon... Not liked much even by his own party. Proposed policies that were helpful to a majority of Americans, and protective of the environment. Deliberately increased the amount of collateral damage from our foreign policy. Was desperate to increase presidential power. 

Reagan... Personally liked by both parties. Proposed policies that were helpful to the wealthy (while naively believing this wealth would trickle down), was antagonistic towards organized labor, and seemingly indifferent to personal rights. Deliberately increased the amount of collateral damage from our foreign policy (through the funding of the contras, etc). 

Trump... Personally disliked and feared by both his opposition party and many formerly of his own party. Proposed policies that were helpful to the wealthy and the ultra-religious. Wanted to reduce personal rights. Frequently threatened to greatly increase the collateral damage from our foreign policy. Was desperate to increase presidential power. 

 

As opposed to telling me I am wrong about any of this, I would appreciate people making their own lists. 

Edited July 28 by Pat Speer

[Greg Doudna]

2 hours ago, Pat Speer said:

I noticed a trend a few years back where people attracted to Trump were comparing him to JFK. I have also seen comparisons of him to Reagan. I can't see this. So I thought it would be useful to list what I see as the differences in the men, and am hoping others can do the same without the usual vitriol. I am merely trying to understand the divide.

JFK... Personally liked by both parties. Proposed policies that were helpful to people of color, to members of organized labor, and people from poor economic backgrounds. Wanted to expand personal rights. Tried to limit collateral damage from our foreign policy. 

Nixon... Not liked much even by his own party. Proposed policies that were helpful to a majority of Americans, and protective of the environment. Deliberately increased the amount of collateral damage from our foreign policy. Was desperate to increase presidential power. 

Reagan... Personally liked by both parties. Proposed policies that were helpful to the wealthy (while naively believing this wealth would trickle down), was antagonistic towards organized labor, and seemingly indifferent to personal rights. Deliberately increased the amount of collateral damage from our foreign policy (through the funding of the contras, etc). 

Trump... Personally disliked and feared by both his opposition party and many formerly of his own party. Proposed policies that were helpful to the wealthy and the ultra-religious. Wanted to reduce personal rights. Frequently threatened to greatly increase the collateral damage from our foreign policy. Was desperate to increase presidential power. 

As opposed to telling me I am wrong about any of this, I would appreciate people making their own lists. 

I think that list is accurate.

Kennedy was an insider who had control of the executive branch but ran afoul of a sector of the military/security establishment which may or may not have played a role in his assassination.

Trump was an outsider who did not, in his term as president 2016-2020, gain full control of the executive branch (hence his impulses and instincts, such as a campaign promise to unleash state torture at presidential directive, were not all able to be implemented). He also ran afoul of the military/security establishment.

A better early-1960s analogy to president Trump is not president Kennedy, but if General Edwin Walker had become president.

Edited July 28 by Greg Doudna

[W. Niederhut]

JFK and Nixon were both highly intelligent, educated statesmen with experience in governance and extensive knowledge of geopolitics.

They also recruited capable administrations, including-- in JFK's case-- experts with divergent policy views.

Alan Greenspan said (in A Time of Turbulence) that Nixon and Clinton were the two most intelligent Presidents he had worked with.  (He never worked with JFK or Obama.)

Reagan had executive experience in California, and a Hoover Institute brain trust.  He functioned as their "Great Communicator."

Trump had none of the above.

He had no legislative or executive experience in governance when he took office in 2017.  He was a reality T.V. star.

He had no brain trust.

People may recall that a consortium of business professors once gave Trump an "F" in administrative management, based on the poor quality of his staff, (including the constant revolving door) and the absence of a functional executive team.

Most of his policy decisions (even foreign policies!) were based on bribes, kickbacks, and favors for wealthy donors.

His lone legislative "achievement," the December 2017 Tax Cut bill, was written by the Heritage Foundation and corporate lawyers.

It isn't inaccurate to say that Trump spent most of his time in office either playing golf or watching Fox News-- which was his primary source of "intelligence" briefings.

His education and fund of knowledge has always been limited, having been, "the single worst student I ever taught at Penn," according to one of his former Wharton professors.  He has never been a reader.

Trump's singular focus, and aptitude, has always been salesmanship-- putting on a superficial show.

Edited July 28 by W. Niederhut

[Evan Burton]

Topic moved to 'Political Discussion'

[Sandy Larsen]

On 7/28/2024 at 12:13 PM, Pat Speer said:

I noticed a trend a few years back where people attracted to Trump were comparing him to JFK. I have also seen comparisons of him to Reagan. I can't see this. So I thought it would be useful to list what I see as the differences in the men, and am hoping others can do the same without the usual vitriol. I am merely trying to understand the divide.

 

JFK... Personally liked by both parties. Proposed policies that were helpful to people of color, to members of organized labor, and people from poor economic backgrounds. Wanted to expand personal rights. Tried to limit collateral damage from our foreign policy. 

Nixon... Not liked much even by his own party. Proposed policies that were helpful to a majority of Americans, and protective of the environment. Deliberately increased the amount of collateral damage from our foreign policy. Was desperate to increase presidential power. 

Reagan... Personally liked by both parties. Proposed policies that were helpful to the wealthy (while naively believing this wealth would trickle down), was antagonistic towards organized labor, and seemingly indifferent to personal rights. Deliberately increased the amount of collateral damage from our foreign policy (through the funding of the contras, etc). 

Trump... Personally disliked and feared by both his opposition party and many formerly of his own party. Proposed policies that were helpful to the wealthy and the ultra-religious. Wanted to reduce personal rights. Frequently threatened to greatly increase the collateral damage from our foreign policy. Was desperate to increase presidential power. 

 

As opposed to telling me I am wrong about any of this, I would appreciate people making their own lists. 

 

I think that what Pat said is a fair assessment.

I believe that Trump will be a very real danger to American democracy if elected.

 

 

 

[James DiEugenio]

Nixon and JFK were not even close in foreign policy.

For example, in Indochina, Nixon's policy was pretty close to nuttiness.  In a mad move to try and get a Korea type settlement he invaded both Cambodia and Laos.  With horrendous results.  He dropped more bomb tonnage over the area than Johnson did. And he deliberately extended a war he knew he could not win for purely political purposes.

In the Middle East, again compared to Kennedy, he did not give two cents about Israel and its atomic arsenal and he so much favored them that it started the first oil embargo.  So one of the reasons we pay high gas prices is Nixon. 

Nixon and Kissinger were responsible for three genocides:  East Timor, East Pakistan, and the big one in Cambodia.

 

[W. Niederhut]

2 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

Nixon and JFK were not even close in foreign policy.

For example, in Indochina, Nixon's policy was pretty close to nuttiness.  In a mad move to try and get a Korea type settlement he invaded both Cambodia and Laos.  With horrendous results.  He dropped more bomb tonnage over the area than Johnson did. And he deliberately extended a war he knew he could not win for purely political purposes.

In the Middle East, again compared to Kennedy, he did not give two cents about Israel and its atomic arsenal and he so much favored them that it started the first oil embargo.  So one of the reasons we pay high gas prices is Nixon. 

Nixon and Kissinger were responsible for three genocides:  East Timor, East Pakistan, and the big one in Cambodia.

 

All true, Jim.

Few similarities between the geopolitical visions of JFK and Nixon, other than Nixon's interest in detente.

My point (above) is that, at the very least, Nixon had a "brain trust" -- however genocidal.

Trump had only his yes-man, Mike Pompeo, at State, after Exxon exec, Rex Tillerson, resigned in disgust.

We may never know the whole story, but I strongly suspect that some of Trump's foreign policy decisions were dictated by Putin.

I agree with John LeCarre's opinion that "Putin has Trump by the short hairs."

 

[Jean Ceulemans]

I can only compare a part of how european people were equially scared with Reagon and Trump on moving forward on the nuclear thread.

Reagon caused a lot of demo strations here in his early years (it cooled later). 

Trump, we have serious doubt on his relation with Nato and war in eastern parts europe and financing in general.

But that´s about it from over here.

And yes, we consider Trump often to be a fool with some of his crazy and undiplomatic statements (vere few go deeper here, following just the main news.

Reagan was an actor and knews how to play a role.., and In the end he was popular!