The Trump Legacy

On the last three Wednesdays of President Donald Trump’s term, he faced an insurrection, then an impeachment and finally the inauguration of his successor.

Trump was uncharacteristically absent from each, not outright leading but also not unequivocally condemning the rioters he loosed on the Capitol Building while remaining silent on his impeachment and refusing to attend his successor’s inauguration, a first in modern American history. With Trump’s tenure in office at a close, Americans are putting the pieces of his term together and trying to figure out how he will be remembered by generations to come. Among them is Trump supporter senior Brodie Horton.

“I think in the near future, he will still be looked at with criticism and harshness, but as years go by, people will look kinder upon him and his presidency,” Horton said. “History tends to view presidents with more grace than when they were in office. I don’t think he would be remembered poorly along with Hoover and Andrew Johnson, nor will he be looked at along with greats like Lincoln or Washington, but in the middle.”

Another task faced by historians weaving the last four years into the tapestry of American history will be to characterize Trump himself accurately. Horton believes that in order to do that, his fighting spirit must be front and center.

“I would probably say that President Trump is a fighter,” Horton said. “To me, there’s no denying that regardless of opinion on him. To me, his willingness to pursue what he wants is probably one of his more well-known traits. He doesn’t seem to back down. Now, sometimes it’s good, and other times it can lead you to wonder why he would go down a certain path. However, I would still describe him as a fighter.” Horton’s opinion isn’t unanimous, though. When posed the same question about a word to describe President Trump as a person, senior and Student Senate Vice President William Alverio offered up the word “manipulative.” He also sees a more critical future for President Trump and his political allies.

“Honestly, I believe that history will do the justice that current Republican politicians and lawmakers are afraid of,” Alverio said. “Of course, there will always be those who are staunch in their beliefs and will continue to speak about Trump with joy, but the vast majority of future scholars, educators, lawmakers, etc. will remember him as one of the most divisive presidents in American history, and the first president to be upset about losing an election.”

While other presidents have, in fact, been upset about election losses, none have incited insurrection against Congress to prevent losing power, as impeachment proceedings passed by the House accuse President Trump. With these disagreements over how Trump will be reported on in the future, it also may be worth noting how he is reported on now, though that, too, falls into controversy.

“I think there are times when he receives criticism that is unwarranted, and there are definitely times where he, as well as every other president we’ve had, deserved criticism,” Horton said. “I remember a time at the beginning of his presidency when one of the media’s top stories was that Trump decided to get two scoops of ice cream. Criticism like that is certainly unwarranted. However, there are other times that even I, a supporter, have criticized him.”

When the tables are turned, Alverio agrees, saying that there are enough substantial actions to criticize without delving into fake outrage. “I believe that the praise he gets is unfair,” Alverio said. “While he did do some good, such as the First Step Act [a racial equity program], the majority of what he did wasn’t positive. In the world’s eyes, we are fools. He has made a laughing-stock of the President’s role in foreign and domestic politics and not done an adequate job to ensure domestic tranquility, which is in the Constitution of the United States.”

Beyond concerns of politics and precedent, for some, it is much harder to materially point to ways that the Trump Administration directly impacted American lives.

“Luckily, none of President Trump’s executive orders pre-COVID impacted me directly, but the inaction of the President in support of relief, policy and so forth have greatly affected my family,” Alverio said. “Instead of encouraging Congress to pass relief and work together--not including the support for a $2,000 stimulus check instead of $600--he has instead disputed the results of an American pillar: the election. On top of that, the President has also not acknowledged the deaths of COVID-19 victims as tragic, and has incited the insurrection and has been an oppressionist towards LGBTQ+ and minority American groups. I know that the constant delusion the President lives in has not only affected my life, but also the lives of millions of American people.”

Horton, though, is more troubled by how the President’s brashness led to the deplatforming of conservative voices.

“I would definitely say that it has become harder to voice your opinion as a conservative these past years under his presidency,” Horton said. “Being a teenager, there haven’t been many pieces of legislation or direct actions of his that impacted me. However, his presidency has infuriated those who differ from him

politically, leading to what I would describe as a suppression of conservative ideals.”

Despite the volatile nature of his rhetoric, though, Horton still carries an appreciation for Trump’s instrumental role in the last four years.

“I will remember him as a man who was well-off, with no political experience or aspirations, who didn’t like what he saw in this country, and decided to act on it,” Horton said. “As someone who wants to find a career in politics, I admire those, on both sides, who act on their ideas and pursue change in this way. He was given no chance to even win the Republican nomination back in 2016, and did, even winning another election he was given no shot at that year. His presidency certainly changed politics in America, and I think everyone can say there’s never been a dull moment. I’ll remember him as the businessman that didn’t have to run for president, but chose to in order to create change that he wanted to see.”

Alverio wouldn’t offer up kind words for the President, though, instead pointing to how his poor 2020 election performance paved the way for key victories for the Democratic party.

“I will definitely not conflate him with anything positive; his words, actions and policies have greatly increased divisions between the Democratic and Republican parties, and his inaction during this pandemic has been the downfall of many local businesses livelihoods, etc.,” Alverio said. “When recounting the past four years to my children, grandchildren and students in the future, I will not have anything positive to say except that we got our first female, African American and Asian Vice President, Madam Kamala Harris.”

WRITER | Jack Clay