Iran war, inflation revive Carter comparisons for Trump
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has long used Jimmy Carter as a political foil, according to an AP analysis. But as Trump confronts a war in Iran and persistent inflation — some of the same challenges that Carter faced — his tone toward the 39th president has shifted.
The shift is evident in Trump’s own words. He said in March that the failed 1980 raid “cost them the election” against Ronald Reagan, “sounding cognizant of political realities in a way he didn’t when using Carter as a punchline,” AP reported.
Asked last month why he had not dispatched U.S. Special Forces into Iran to forcibly remove enriched uranium, Trump responded: “I didn’t feel like being Jimmy Carter.” The remark referenced the failed 1980 raid to free U.S. hostages that killed eight American servicemen.
Johnathan Adler, author of the Carter biography “His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life,” said the comparison is “dawning on” Trump and that his presidency could be remembered for the same kinds of challenges that defined Carter’s term.
The tone shift coincides with Trump’s increased focus on his legacy, according to the AP. Trump now faces some of the same challenges that Carter confronted, the AP reported: a war in Iran and persistent inflation.