WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� used to be one of President 鈥檚 favorite political targets, a for feckless Democrats that he could jeer at to make himself look strong and decisive.
But lately, Trump鈥檚 sentiments on the 39th president have become more wistful as he faces some of the same challenges the late Carter did.
Those include the with no end in sight 鈥� and now escalating as the U.S. moves to control the 鈥� and a drag on the economy Trump hasn’t tamed despite long insisting that his business background would wipe it out.
The comparison seems to be on Trump鈥檚 mind, too. Asked last month why he didn鈥檛 dispatch U.S. Special Forces into Iran to forcibly remove its , he responded, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 feel like being Jimmy Carter.鈥�
That recalled the failed 1980 raid to free U.S. hostages that killed eight American servicemen. Trump also said in March that the unsuccessful mission 鈥渃ost them the election” against Ronald Reagan in 1980, sounding cognizant of political realities in a way he didn’t when using Carter as a punchline.
The shift in tone coincides with Trump’s increased focus on his personal legacy and comes as the parallels between the two presidents become harder to ignore.
鈥淚 think it is dawning on him 鈥� it鈥檚 getting through even his thick skull 鈥� that he鈥檚 kicked over a hornet鈥檚 nest and his presidency might be remembered for some of the same things Jimmy Carter鈥檚 presidency is,鈥� said Jonathan Alter, author of 鈥淗is Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life.鈥�
Despite some similarities, the two had glaring differences
Asked about Trump’s change in tone on Carter and the two facing overlapping challenges, White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said, 鈥淭rump will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon鈥� and 鈥渞emains laser-focused on implementing his proven economic agenda to lower costs.鈥�
鈥淭he president is a one-of-a-kind leader who will always unapologetically advance America鈥檚 interests,” Wales said in a statement. “The only legacy he is concerned with is making America greater than ever before.鈥�
Kori Schake, a former member of George W. Bush鈥檚 National Security Council, said she doesn’t think Trump is reassessing Carter. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 stitch facts together and create theories,” she said.
Still, Trump’s more recent comments are a long way from his 2024 reelection campaign, when he routinely called 鈥渢he worst鈥� president who made Carter look 鈥渂rilliant鈥� by comparison. Trump still frequently mentions Carter, who died two years ago at age 100, but usually to incorrectly suggest that he was wary of mail-in ballots.
Other disparities between the two are legion.
Carter was married to his wife, Rosalynn, for 77 years, was deeply religious and pledged to 鈥渘ever knowingly lie to the American people.鈥� Trump is twice divorced, relishes cursing publicly and offers a never-ending onslaught of .
As president, Carter placed his family’s peanut business in a blind trust. Control of the Trump Organization has transferred to Trump’s sons, but the president last year while not being shy about turning his presidency into a in other ways.
Speaking in 1977, Carter declared, 鈥淲e are now free of that inordinate fear of communism.鈥� Trump has seized on by progressive Democrats to constantly stoke new fears about .
Carter also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Trump hasn’t, despite declaring himself more deserving than any of the award’s past recipients.
The two have inflation and Iran in common
While inflation plagued both presidents, Carter had it much worse, facing a peak inflation rate of 14.7% in April 1980. Consumer prices this May from a year earlier 鈥� a three-year high 鈥� and though they y from May to June, that decline included lower gas prices fueled by a U.S.-Iran ceasefire. That deal is , driving up oil prices again.
Trump suggested he didn’t , a war he started in conjunction with Israel in February. More recently, he . But resolution has proved tricky and U.S. attacks have intensified anew after Iran’s attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Like Trump, Carter was also bedeviled by the strait, declaring during his 1980 State of the Union address that the situation 鈥渄emands the participation of all those who rely on oil from the Middle East and who are concerned with global peace and stability.鈥�
Another Trump-Carter parallel was the Democrat having considered military action to seize , though he ultimately decided against it so as not to jeopardize the hostages. Trump targeted the island with U.S. strikes early in the war, looking to thwart Iranian oil exports, and has .
Schake, a senior fellow and director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, noted a key difference was 鈥渨hile the Carter administration gave serious consideration to attacking Kharg Island, the reason they didn鈥檛 do it was they didn鈥檛 want to be at war with Iran.”
“And we鈥檙e already at war with Iran,鈥� she said.
Alter said Iran tried to hurt Carter’s reelection chances and raised the possibility that they may do the same to Trump’s Republican Party ahead of the November .
鈥淭hese people are master diplomats, and they proved that during the Carter administration,” Alter said. “They鈥檙e proving that again. They鈥檙e really good at rope-a-dope.鈥�
Trump now talks up presidential history
The president has lately name-checked many of his predecessors, ‘s support for and as a 鈥済reat he-man.鈥� Trump said a key reason for reaching the now-imperiled June ceasefire with Iran was to avoid the ” that befell Herbert Hoover.
鈥淚鈥檓 a student of a lot of history,鈥� Trump said this week.
During his first term, Trump frequently He still praises Jackson but has , including those of Democrats like Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Trump even listed some of Carter’s accomplishments on the 鈥� despite displays for other Democrats, such as Barack Obama and Biden, offering biting attacks.
鈥淭rump is thinking of his legacy, and he might have thought that attacking Iran would have enhanced it. But, in fact, it will seriously hurt,鈥� James P. Pfiffner, a professor emeritus at George Mason University and author of several books including 鈥淭he Character Factor: How We Judge Our Presidents,鈥� said via email.
After his presidency, Alter said, Carter asked Trump for a donation to help build Carter’s presidential library. Trump later wrote that Carter wanted $5 million, but he didn’t answer him.
Then, during Trump’s first term, Carter wrote the president a letter and Trump called to thank him, eventually leaving Carter with the impression that he might serve as a special envoy to China 鈥� an offer that never actually materialized.
鈥淚f he had learned anything from Carter鈥檚 experience 鈥� and listened to predictions about the Strait of Hormuz 鈥� he would have hesitated,” Pfiffner said of war with Iran. 鈥淏ut he ignored lessons of history and geography.鈥�
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This story has been updated to CORRECT the spelling of the Carter biographer to Jonathan Alter.
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