Which past president is most like TRUMP as a person?

[President Johnson]

Issues aside, which former president's personality is most like Donald Trump's?

Honestly, I say Lyndon Johnson. Both have/had an enormous ego. Sometimes a rough language, but the ability to be very charming if necessary.

[Kingpoleon]

Theodore Roosevelt.

To quote from this, "Outgoing, adaptable, and action oriented. Tend to take on many projects at once. Voice their opinions without reservations, which may lead to offending others. Fun and lively, tend to take risks. Very enthusiastic, which can be contagious to others around them. May have difficulty finishing projects."

[136or142]

Since you didn't say American President, I will take liberties with that and also liberties with 'President.' Trump is clearly most like Mussolini: A clownish, thuggish, vain, authoritarian, incompetent brute.

[President Johnson]

Since you didn't say American President, I will take liberties with that and also liberties with 'President.' Trump is clearly most like Mussolini: A clownish, thuggish, vain, authoritarian, incompetent brute.

I meant American president. Mussolini was a dictator and mass murder, TRUMP is not and will never be one.

[136or142]

Since you didn't say American President, I will take liberties with that and also liberties with 'President.' Trump is clearly most like Mussolini: A clownish, thuggish, vain, authoritarian, incompetent brute.

I meant American president. Mussolini was a dictator and mass murder, TRUMP is not and will never be one.

Rapist Trump clearly wants to be a dictator, and while he's not a mass murderer yet, he's not President yet either.  Hopefully he'll never become President so that he'll never be in a position where he can become a mass murderer.

[President Johnson]

Since you didn't say American President, I will take liberties with that and also liberties with 'President.' Trump is clearly most like Mussolini: A clownish, thuggish, vain, authoritarian, incompetent brute.

I meant American president. Mussolini was a dictator and mass murder, TRUMP is not and will never be one.

Rapist Trump clearly wants to be a dictator, and while he's not a mass murderer yet, he's not President yet either.  Hopefully he'll never become President so that he'll never be in a position where he can become a mass murderer.

Of course TRUMP wants to be a dictator, that's why he critisizes Obama for signing executive orders instead of dealing with congress (I don't say Obama is one).

[President Johnson]

Theodore Roosevelt.

To quote from this, "Outgoing, adaptable, and action oriented. Tend to take on many projects at once. Voice their opinions without reservations, which may lead to offending others. Fun and lively, tend to take risks. Very enthusiastic, which can be contagious to others around them. May have difficulty finishing projects."

I agree, they're really simular. #NewYorkValues

[Ljube]

Theodore Roosevelt.

To quote from this, "Outgoing, adaptable, and action oriented. Tend to take on many projects at once. Voice their opinions without reservations, which may lead to offending others. Fun and lively, tend to take risks. Very enthusiastic, which can be contagious to others around them. May have difficulty finishing projects."

[Phony Moderate]

Yeah, Teddy. "Living life to the full" and all that.

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

I thought, independently of this thread, that Trump comes closer to LBJ than any other President.

In the book Means of Ascent, Robert Caro detailed a number of qualities LBJ manifested that were qualities of leadership.  I do not have the book in front of me, but I will recount some of the qualities Caro indicated.

One was LBJ's willingness to take responsibility for his own fate.  Caro points out how, when he was faced with a decision in the midst of the legal challenge to his 1948 Democratic Senate Primary victory, his entire legal team told him to accept a compromise and agree to share the Democratic nomination with Coke Stevenson, in which case there would be two (2) Democrats and one Republican in the General Election.  LBJ told them to take a flying leap, and he did it knowing that if the matter was not resolved within a specified timeframe, there would be a blank line for the Democratic Senate nominee in November, and his political career would be over.  Caro mentioned that LBJ had never put himself in a position where he was inextricably tied to FDR or Sam Rayburn, or Herman Brown (his money man).  "If he had not placed his faith in princes," wrote Caro, "he was not about to place his faith in lawyers.  He would make up his own mind."  This despite the fact that LBJ was not a lawyer, and his legal team was top shelf.  

I thought of the above when Trump told folks that he wouldn't change regarding insults, Judge Curiel, etc.  Trump has rejected sage advice, but he's not shifted the blame to his advisers.  One of the consistent themes of the Trump campaign is Trump's willingness to take responsibility for his own fate.  Whatever his faults, he's not blaming others for his strategy decisions.  

Another quality Caro noted in LBJ was the ability to think, fast and clearly, under intense pressure in a crisis, and to make a decision fast, even if he had to make it without all the facts.  This, too, is a quality Trump shares; indeed, his management style can be described as "highly decisive".  Trump gets flak for this, but a "highly decisive" management style is much lower risk than people think because making a wrong decision quickly enables the executive to reverse course early, minimizing losses and allowing for a turnaround.  Caro also saw LBJ as possessing a toughness of mind.  This quality was the one Caro saw as what was the most attractive in LBJ and what drew people to him where they would follow him.  Noting LBJ's tendency to be overly dramatic, Caro noted that in a crisis, "the self-pity and hysteria fell away, to be replaced by what was needed".  Have we not seen this quality in Trump during this campaign?  

Caro was highly critical of LBJ at certain levels.  He noted that LBJ had an inability to recognize the moral implications of his actions, and unable to fully comprehend that he could be held accountable for them.  LBJ passed over a compromise that would ensure him a spot on the General Election ballot as a Democrat for the US Senate, in a 3 way race, in favor of a solution that seemed to ensure that ballot boxes would be opened in South Texas counties where there were convincing allegations of fraud.  Even if it were revealed that the fraudulent votes were not solicited by LBJ, Caro pointed out that he would forever be linked with the fraudulent votes.  "How could he not be?"  asked Caro, rhetorically.  "They were cast for HIM!"  LBJ really never fully grasped this, and the fact that he avoided being tarred with this scandal as much as he could have been is (A) less true with the passing years, (B) something that wouldn't happen if he did the same thing today, and (C) something that was a stroke of luck for LBJ.  

To what degree is Trump University an episode in Trump's life and career analogous to LBJ's 1948 Senate Democratic Primary election victory?  That's a barometer of Trump's ability to grasp the morality of a situation and the reality that certain actions WILL bring sanctions.  LBJ overcame this to become a controversial President, but a man who is now considered a near-great President.  Whether or not Trump can do the same remains to be seen.  Rightly or wrongly, however, LBJ fits Trump more than anyone I can think of.

[Crumpets]

Since you didn't say American President, I will take liberties with that and also liberties with 'President.' Trump is clearly most like Mussolini: A clownish, thuggish, vain, authoritarian, incompetent brute.

I meant American president. Mussolini was a dictator and mass murder, TRUMP is not and will never be one.

Why do you underestimate your candidate so much? Very low-energy to think he wouldn't rise to the occasion as Mussolini did.

[Tartarus Sauce]

In terms of the capacity to rile up the emotions of the masses: Andrew Jackson.

In terms of boisterous personality and strongman antics: Theodore Roosevelt.

In terms of lust for attention, being a political outsider, and making public statements that disagree with party platform only to awkwardly walk it back under pressure from party officials: Zachary Taylor

In terms of willingness to incite racial tensions: Woodrow Wilson.

He's in a league of his own though when it comes to narcissism.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Teddy Roosevelt

[Blue3]

Andrew Jackson

[Fight for Trump]

Andrew Jackson, and that's why I support him.

[publicunofficial]

Andrew Jackson, and that's why I support him.

God you're gross.

Jackson or Zachary Taylor

[HAnnA MArin County]

Since you didn't say American President, I will take liberties with that and also liberties with 'President.' Trump is clearly most like Mussolini: A clownish, thuggish, vain, authoritarian, incompetent brute.

I meant American president. Mussolini was a dictator and mass murder, TRUMP is not and will never be one.

Lol denial, what a wonderful little defense mechanism.

[Maxwell]

It's gotta be Andrew Jackson.

Though if we're thinking Presidential candidates, then he's an exact middle point between George Wallace and Ross Perot.

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

Since you didn't say American President, I will take liberties with that and also liberties with 'President.' Trump is clearly most like Mussolini: A clownish, thuggish, vain, authoritarian, incompetent brute.

More like Burlesconi for the womanizing.

[Erc]

Jackson.  Both thought of as boorish, perceived as being on the side of the "common [ white ] man" depite their personal wealth, and both having terrible policies towards racial minorities.  Oh, and both, if elected President, directly causing the worst economic crises that their country had yet seen.

On a strict personal life level, it's not as clear.  Whatever else you can say about Jackson, he brought himself up from absolutely nothing, and he was completely committed to his (late) wife.

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

Andrew Jackson, and that's why I support him.

The hallmark of Jackson's Presidency was an opposition to a central banking system.  Is Trump an "End the Fed!" guy?

[Mallow]

In terms of the capacity to rile up the emotions of the masses: Andrew Jackson.

In terms of boisterous personality and strongman antics: Theodore Roosevelt.

In terms of lust for attention, being a political outsider, and making public statements that disagree with party platform only to awkwardly walk it back under pressure from party officials: Zachary Taylor

In terms of willingness to incite racial tensions: Woodrow Wilson.

He's in a league of his own though when it comes to narcissism.

[Gabagool102]

Since you didn't say American President, I will take liberties with that and also liberties with 'President.' Trump is clearly most like Mussolini: A clownish, thuggish, vain, authoritarian, incompetent brute.

Mussolini was II DUCE, not president. Nice Try though.

[Maxwell]

Andrew Jackson, and that's why I support him.

The hallmark of Jackson's Presidency was an opposition to a central banking system.  Is Trump an "End the Fed!" guy?

He's said Audit the Fed before, but I assume he was just saying whatever GOP voters wanted to hear.