Gordon L. Weil
Imagine a president who wanted to add to the national
territory, sought to reform banking, and staged a bold fight on tariffs. He won the presidency but without winning a
popular majority.
Donald Trump? This
describes him well, though he has not yet succeeded on any of his goals.
But it isn’t Trump.
You may well have never heard of this president. He was James K. Polk, the eleventh
president. Unlike Trump, he pledged to serve
only one term, and he did. Also, unlike
Trump, he achieved all his goals.
Most importantly, he served without displaying outsized ego
or self-promotion, resulting in his historical anonymity. But he changed the nation. If you want to make America great again, Polk’s
presidency is part of the past that Trump would restore.
Anyone who aspires today to the American presidency must
have a big ego. The task and the responsibility
are so great that a person with a normal view of their limits would not have
enough self-regard to carry them through a campaign much less the
presidency. But Trump’s view of himself
surpasses any of his predecessors.
Trump’s ego is the hallmark of his administration. He makes extravagant claims about his memory,
his knowledge of science, his wealth, and his ability to use power effectively. He sees his supposed success in real estate
as proof of his extraordinary ability to make deals among nations.
He seeks to burnish his status by adding vast territory to
the United States (Greenland, Canada, though the Panama Canal seems to have been
dropped), and returning the banking system to the banks, and making the U.S.
economically independent. He would by
himself turn the tide of American history.
With no embarrassment he has made clear that his political style
relies rely on threats to his GOP friends and foreign allies, and depend
heavily on flattery. Foreign leaders
quickly found that unbounded praise is an essential tool in inducing him to
alter his policies. They also never tire
of admitting their dependence on the U.S. with the resulting need to stay on
his good side.
Nowhere is this more obvious than his attempt to collect nominations
for the Nobel Peace Prize from the leaders of other nations. He may believe that a rush of high-level
nominations will enhance his chances. It
looks like gaining endorsements for one’s candidacy during a political
campaign.
Trump appears to consider the praise and support he actively
cultivates as a sign that others recognize his outstanding qualities and
accomplishments. His ego allows him to
miss their obvious flattery, not representing their sincere beliefs, but as a
necessary tool of their own foreign policies.
He is not widely regarded as the “very stable genius” that he claims to
be.
Nominating him for the Peace Prize amounts to merely promising
to write to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Nominations remain secret for 50 years.
Sinking small vessels on the high
seas, threatening to use force against Venezuela and Nigeria or sending the
military to repress domestic free speech will deny him the Prize, no matter
what else he does.
The ultimate expression of his ego may have been slapping an
added 10 percent tariff on Canadian imports, because he disliked a television
ad. Tariffs are taxes and are supposedly
based on economic considerations not presidential whim.
Much of the world sees through his personal management of
American policy. The country is
increasingly held responsible for having elected him twice. Because such a choice may be possible in the
future, many countries grow wary of a close, long-term relationship with the
U.S.
Trump uses the powers of his office, enhanced by the backing
of the Supreme Court and the GOP Congress, to serve his ego more than the
national interest. This may reshape the
U.S. and its effect can extend well into the future. He may not achieve his goals, but he is making
his mark.
And the anonymous Polk?
In the four years of his presidency, he almost doubled the size of the
country through the controversial Mexican War and astute diplomacy with Great
Britain.
He also created an independent national treasury, arguing the
U.S. could manage its own financial affairs, not the banks. This led eventually to the Federal Reserve, the
public-private arrangement setting monetary policy that Trump would now topple.
And Polk changed national tariff policy. He lowered tariffs so they would cover the
cost of government but not overly protect domestic industry, thus reducing
prices. This policy worked for 20 years.
Trump’s excessive focus on himself – his ego gratification –
gets in the way of stable and sound public policy, conservative or not. It offends many whose support he needs.
Displaying little ego, Polk acted for what he saw as the
public good. A contrast with today.
