President Donald Trump believes that the Civil War could all have been avoided if only there had been a stronger negotiating presence.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner’s Salena Zito, Trump explains that he believes Andrew Jackson could have been able to prevent the Civil War–which we know we know historically was over slavery–had he been president at the time.
“I mean, had Andrew Jackson been a little later, you wouldn’t have had the Civil War. He was a very tough person, but he had a big heart. And he was really angry that — he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War. He said, ‘There’s no reason for this.’ People don’t realize, you know, the Civil War — if you think about it, why? People don’t ask that question, but why was there the Civil War? Why could that one not have been worked out?” Trump said.
Never mind that Jackson died over a decade before the Civil War started or that his presidency saw, in 1832 and 1833, the Nullification Crisis, in which South Carolina was forced to pay tariffs under the threat of military force, or the fact that Jackson himself was a slave owner. The claim is just bizarre, and strikes a familiar tone to his comments on the crisis between Israel and Palestine.
“I want to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians,” Trump said in an interview with Reuters last week. “There is no reason there’s not peace between Israel and the Palestinians — none whatsoever. So we’re looking at that, and we’re also looking at the potential of going to Saudi Arabia.”
President Trump also made headlines after he abruptly ended another interview with CBS’ John Dickerson after being questioned over his false claims that former President Barack Obama wiretapped him during the presidential campaign.
“I have my own opinions, you can have your own opinions,” Trump said, later walking away to his Oval Office desk after dismissing the interview.
“That’s enough. Thank you. Thank you very much.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34y42N6LFBo