Donald Trump is not the first man to don rose colored glasses and employ this manipulative campaign slogan. Ronald Reagan famously used it, word for word, and Andrew Jackson ran on the exact same sentiment in an attempt to evoke the stability and fairness of George Washington's America. Both men became President.
President Jackson was known for his brash toughness and Washington-outsider status. In his first year in office he ratified the Indian Removal Act which led to the “voluntary” removal of Native Americans from their homes. “Voluntary” in that it created the trail of tears, a second Seminole war, and left thousands of Native Americans dead while attempting to relocate or defend their homes. President Jackson also passed the Tenure of Office Act which was created to limit the term of public office an individual can hold, in theory a good thing, but in practice provided Jackson and future presidents a legal method of rewarding friends and donors with appointments, paving the way for a spoils system and cronyism that favors, by design, a ruling class. Fun fact: Andrew Jackson became president in 1828 after his first presidential bid failed in 1824. He finally took the White House by retreating to the south and starting his own political party - primarily to fan the flames of a populist movement while calling the previous election a "corrupt bargain" *cough* rigged *cough* ... Some people are even saying that Jackson's decision to substantiate fringe political opinions for his personal advancement created a political divide so insurmountable that The Civil War became inevitable. I'm not saying that, but some people, smart people, the best people, are saying that.
President Reagan was known for his plain-folk straight talk and conservative principles. Once in office, he enacted a series of policies that came to be known as Reaganomics or Reagan's Revolution. These economic policies are at times credited with restoring our national “prosperity", but with the benefit of hindsight, we can clearly see that they favored a predominantly white corporate class prosperity and all but rolled out the red carpet for a tremendous wage gap and a deregulated savings and loans industry which led to more than a decade of real estate speculation, fraud, and eventual collapse. President Reagan’s centerpiece campaign promises included cutting taxes (which he did: the top federal income tax rate fell from 70% to 28%) and cutting federal spending (which he did not: domestic spending was slashed but defense spending increased by 43% resulting in our national debt skyrocketing from $997 billion to $2.85 trillion). Notably, the funds allocated for Housing and Urban Development were cut by 78% from $32 billion to $7 billion in just two years. This, in combination with rampant and unmonitored racial prejudice by banks and landlords, led to the creation of nearly inescapable homelessness in America.
Is it fair to predict the potential legislation of a future President Trump by the actions of two of his campaign's spiritual predecessors? Probably not. Given Donald Trump's stupendous ego, he’s not likely to be outdone by predecessors - and that’s a scary thought. Historically speaking, “Make America Great Again” administrations have wreaked havoc on the white progressive and minority populations. But here’s the good news: the numbers are finally in our favor. Of the 217 million eligible voters in the United States, 50 million people of color and 61 million white people identify as progressive. That’s a 111 million person progressive coalition (or 51% of eligible voters) with the power to sway an election. And sway we must. To prove that America’s greatness lies in its inclusive future not its exclusive past.
Truthfully, at this point it seems that Donald Trump is more concerned about the creation of a Trump Television Network than his presidential legislation. But it would be a disservice to future presidential candidates everywhere to not amend this devious campaign slogan once and for all: “Make America Great Again For Those Who Look Like Me and Can Spend Like Me”. Good luck!