While it might sound like sacrilege to die-hard JFK fans, the late president may have much more in common with our current White House occupant than generally believed. Here are seven reasons why.
1. Both had tough, 'no-nonsense' fathers who were incredibly wealthy and who started their son’s successful careers. Both fathers were distant and aloof figures to their sons, who spent their entire lifetimes trying to live up to their expectations.
2. Both men faced nuclear staredowns. We don't know how the North Korea imbroglio will go, but Kennedy came within an ace of tossing a nuclear bomb at Cuba.
Read More: JFK's first-year approval rating was more than double Trump's
3. Both were womanizers. Trump is on wife No.3, a trophy wife if ever there was one, with rumors of dozens of affairs while Kennedy was a walking sexaholic according to those that knew him.
4. Both knew how to lie. Kennedy lied repeatedly about his health, claiming he was fine when, in fact, he had a very serious condition called Addison’s Disease as well as dreadful back pain. Trump lied 24 times in his most recent New York Times interview, according to fact checkers.
5. Both were master communicators. Kennedy set the modern standard for using mass media. His press conferences were legendary as was his off-the-cuff wit and wisdom. Trump came from nowhere to win the presidency because of his mastery of Twitter and his ability to dominate the media headlines day after day.
6. JFK liked to cut taxes on the rich too. As Niall Ferguson, a scholar of the presidency, noted:
“In 1963 Kennedy proposed a tax cut that slashed business and individual tax rates by about 30 percent. It’s true that tax rates were a lot higher then (90 percent in some cases) than now. But the philosophy was the same: lower taxes will get businesses, investors and consumers going again and jump start a lackluster economy.”
Read More: Trump and JFK are very similar in many ways, says historian
7. Both took office as major outsiders. Kennedy was the first Catholic, Trump the first non-politician. Both were underdogs as Nixon and Clinton were widely considered favorites to win. Both had that underdog quality to never give up.
Do you notice any other similarities between JFK and Trump? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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