Trump wants to be remembered. LBJ wanted to be beloved.

I’ve been rereading R. A. Caros masterpiece volumes on LBJ and finding it fascinating comparing the two presidents.

In a lot of ways they are similar, larger-than-life, personalities. Both narcissistic, low or no morals, and fluid political positions, but I get the impression that the motivation between these two characters has a striking difference.

LBJ wanted to be president to be the center of attention, “to be somebody” as Caro often reiterates, from his actions it appears he also wanted to be respected and even loved, as much as FDR had been.

Whenever achieving higher office he changed his behaviour to match the position, at least in public, and as the mood of the country shifted towards social justice he became it’s champion in getting legislature passed. When the Vietnam war shattered his popularity and made it clear he wouldn’t win he chose to try salvage his remaining legacy by not running for a second term.

Contrast with Trump. He also wants to be the center of attention, be somebody, break records, but Trump seems to be less interested in becoming overwhelmingly popular and more interested in cementing his name in the history books in such a way that makes it impossible to forget or ignore.

It’s why trump doesn’t adopt a presidential style, he knows it’s different. It’s why he seeks the Nobel prize, gives himself titles like “peace president” and adds his name to memorial buildings. It’s why he wants to conquer territory (and if he wins Greenland it probably wouldn’t be his last acquisition.) it’s why he wants to build an arc D’triumph and a new White House ballroom.

He knows this won’t make him popular but he understands that, whether in a bad or good light, his name likely will be in the history books especially if he adds territory to the USA.

I used to think the US is fine. That LBJ proves you can have a pretty awful human being as president and survive however trump is dangerous. Someone with the ambition of a Khan, of a would-be emperor, but I also believe that the US republic has been built well and it’s values entrenched enough to survive.