Age of Trump Could Use Wisdom of John Quincy Adams

Donald Trump admires Andrew Jackson. The 45th and 47th president likes to be seen as a tough leader willing to make hard decisions for the good of the American people, even if those decisions are unpopular with the nation’s elites. In this way, he certainly sees himself in the seventh president, whose election in 1828 famously remade American politics in a more populist image than the Founding Fathers wanted for the American republic.

While admirable in its own way, Trump’s decisiveness also runs the risk of becoming impulsiveness, best seen in his approach to foreign policy. In Venezuela and now in Iran, Trump lurches from decisive attacks to appeasement. In the case of Iran in particular, he seems to have given away the proverbial diplomatic farm. The Islamic Republic is still intact. The Iranian people are not free. The United States does not control the Strait of Hormuz. And the ayatollahs are $300 billion richer.

About the Author

Miles Smith IV

Miles Smith IV is a professor in the history department at Hillsdale College.

Donald Trump admires Andrew Jackson. The 45th and 47th president likes to be seen as a tough leader willing to make hard decisions for the good of the American people, even if those decisions are unpopular with the nation’s elites. In this way, he certainly sees himself in the seventh president, whose election in 1828 famously remade American politics in a more populist image than the Founding Fathers wanted for the American republic.

While admirable in its own way, Trump’s decisiveness also runs the risk of becoming impulsiveness, best seen in his approach to foreign policy. In Venezuela and now in Iran, Trump lurches from decisive attacks to appeasement. In the case of Iran in particular, he seems to have given away the proverbial diplomatic farm. The Islamic Republic is still intact. The Iranian people are not free. The United States does not control the Strait of Hormuz. And the ayatollahs are $300 billion richer.