Slider image by Gansyam Choudary
In almost 250 years, The United States of America has had 45 presidents. Each one is unique, coming into office with different goals and opinions. 250 years is a long time, so how have the presidents evolved since then?
George Washington was president from 1789 to 1797. He wasn’t super freakin rich like President Trump, but his family was rather wealthy. Washington was the commander-in-chief of the United States army during the Revolutionary War, while Trump avoided the Vietnam draft due to “bone spurs” (probably fake) on his feet. Some war hero. Washington led America through victory and is known as one of the most important people in American history. Trump, on the other hand, owns many businesses, making him a billionaire. Washington became president because he saw immense potential in the United States, while Trump became president mostly for financial gain and power.
When Washington became president, he was offered a salary of $25,000 a year. That was an enormous sum of money in the late 18th century. Washington denied the money, believing it would be better suited to be given to the United States. If Trump had to make the same decision, he would surely keep it to himself and spend it on golfing and McDonalds. In the end, Washington took the money, due to Congress trying to avoid the impression that anyone could be president, not just the wealthy. Well, look where we are now.
Soon after becoming president, everyone Washington appointed was skilled beyond imagination, such as Alexander Hamilton. These men were all well respected and had the country’s best interest at heart. Soon after Trump was elected president, he appointed people with some interesting backgrounds. For instance, he appointed Brett Kavanaugh to be a member of the Supreme Court, the highest court in the United States, a symbol of honesty and justice. On paper, Kavanaugh is an extremely respected man, but in person, he has charges of sexual harassment and may have even committed perjury, lying under oath.
When Washington made the decision that he would not run for president, he wrote in his famous Farewell Address that the United States should not interfere with foreign governments, and it should beware of political factions. As president, it is important to keep the United States safe and hold onto its deeply-rooted American values. President Trump has publicly offended many world leaders, almost started WWIII in the Middle East, and he is building a wall across the Mexican border.
The wall is meant to keep Mexicans out, and somehow, Trump believes Mexico should pay for it. “Believe me, they’re going to pay for the wall” he said. Along with politics outside the United States, Trump has expanded the rift between Democrats and Republicans within the United States. If someone disagrees with him, and by someone, I mean over half of the country, all he can do is spew out insults and make each party hate each other. At the time of Washington’s presidency, the two parties were known as the Federalists and the Anti-federalists. The Federalists supported the Constitution and a strong national government, while the Anti-federalists opposed them. When the Constitution was about to be ratified, Washington, among other Federalists, compromised with the Anti-federalists and added the Bill of Rights. Washington was apparently an adult, getting along with people that held completely opposite views.
Sophia Bush, an American actress and political activist believes, “America was founded by a white racist hetronormative patriarchy. In ways it has changed in leaps and bounds, but there are still vestiges of pure trash in our system. The system needs to be taken apart and put back together. There is a lot of work to do. It is important for people to figure out what their passions are, and figure out what policies affect them. There are so many young people not participating, and then complain that things aren’t going the way they want them to.”
Washington was the first president to be elected unanimously by the Electoral College, while Trump is the second president to win without winning the popular vote. “Washington established broad-ranging presidential authority, but always with the highest integrity, exercising power with restraint and honesty. In doing so, he set a standard rarely met by his successors, but one that established an ideal by which all are judged”(CNN).
Along with the United States, Israel has had a similar situation with the government. There are many new factors that play into politics since the birth of both countries. Some include new forms of knowledge and news. Stav Shaffir, a member of Israel’s parliament and the leader of the Green Party states, “there are many issues such as climate change, immigration, terrorism, and technology, which is questioned on how it will affect democracy. These are all things we have to deal with together.”
Trump has managed to make the world hate this country. Oh yea, and he was impeached by the House. There is no doubt that both presidents will go down in history, but I can tell you with confidence, they will be for completely different reasons.
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*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of HBHA’s student publication. The editorial student staff of the “Rampagewired” places the highest value on student-run journalism and responsible, free expression.*
