Donald Trump has established a presidency defined by actions and behaviors that challenge the traditional norms of the office.
The scale of this shift is difficult to quantify through traditional political science, as the former president has become the first US President to use insulting language against his predecessors, specifically Barack Obama and Joseph Biden.
A departure from presidential norms
The presidency of Donald Trump has introduced several firsts for the United States. He is the first US President to transform Cabinet meetings into televised monologues, a departure from the closed-door sessions held by his predecessors to facilitate discussion. Additionally, he has frequently insulted newspaper reporters, describing them as “silly” or “stupid,” and has labeled major news organizations as “fake news.”
His administration’s approach to international relations and domestic policy has also been marked by significant friction. Trump is the first US President to engage in heated exchanges with the leaders of Canada, Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Denmark, and Italy.
On the world stage, he maltreated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a live televised meeting in the Oval Office and attempted similar treatment with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whom he approached with a fake picture alleging a genocide of White people in South Africa.
Policy shifts and controversial actions
During his tenure, Trump implemented several aggressive policies and made unconventional appointments. He became the first US President to deport 2,300 Mexicans to prisons in Guatemala. He also deployed ICE agents into American streets to deport suspected illegal migrants, a process that resulted in the shooting and killing of some citizens.
His administration’s domestic actions included:
- Launching a war against 600 universities, including Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Chicago, and Johns Hopkins, by accusing them of condoning anti-Semitism during student protests regarding Israel’s actions in Gaza.
- Appointing a Fox newsroom anchor as Secretary of Defense.
- Converting the Department of Justice into what has been described as a personal retribution machine used to target individuals such as James Comey.
- Attempting to add his name to the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts and subsequently starving the institution financially when that attempt failed.
- Seizing the President of Venezuela from his bed at night to be held in an American prison.
Trump's rhetoric contrasts with historical reality
The unique nature of Trump’s presidency has drawn comparisons to the complex personas of historical figures. Just as a 1978 Time magazine cover once questioned if anyone could invent a person as multifaceted as King Charles, the current political climate makes one wonder whether a novelist or film director could conceive of a figure like Trump.
Trump’s rhetoric has often stood in contrast to historical reality. He has claimed the United States is in a “Golden Age” and asserted that he ended seven wars, though the identities of these wars remain unknown. He also claimed the US enjoys increased global respect, despite evidence to the contrary, and attempted to pressure Norway’s Nobel Prize Committee to award him the Nobel Peace Prize.
