Trump's tone on Jimmy Carter changes as Iran conflict, inflation test presidency
(Original Caption) 3/24/1979-Elk City, Oklahoma: President Jimmy Carter addressing a town meeting. American flag is hung in background.
As President Donald Trump grapples with a widening conflict in Iran and stubborn inflation, his presidency is drawing increasing comparisons to the Jimmy Carter era — a parallel Trump once mocked.
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Those include the war in Iran with no end in sight — and now escalating as the U.S. moves to control the Strait of Hormuz — and inflation, a drag on the economy Trump hasn't tamed despite long insisting that his business background would wipe it out.
The comparison seems to be on Trump’s mind, too. Asked last month why he didn’t dispatch U.S. Special Forces into Iran to forcibly remove its enriched uranium, he responded, "I didn’t feel like being Jimmy Carter."
That recalled the failed 1980 raid to free U.S. hostages that killed eight American servicemen. Trump also said in March that the unsuccessful mission "cost them the election" against Ronald Reagan in 1980, sounding cognizant of political realities in a way he didn't when using Carter as a punchline.
The shift in tone coincides with Trump's increased focus on his personal legacy and comes as the parallels between the two presidents become harder to ignore.
Jimmy Carter's grandson delivers humorous remarks
FROM THE ARCHIVES: At his grandfather's official state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral, Jimmy Carter's grandson Jason Carter delivered humorous remarks in honor of Jimmy Carter's service to craft beer and legalizing cannabis among other things.
What they're saying:
"I think it is dawning on him — it’s getting through even his thick skull — that he’s kicked over a hornet’s nest and his presidency might be remembered for some of the same things Jimmy Carter’s presidency is," said Jonathan Alter, author of "His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life."
Asked about Trump's change in tone on Carter and the two facing overlapping challenges, White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said, "Trump will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon" and "remains laser-focused on implementing his proven economic agenda to lower costs."
"The president is a one-of-a-kind leader who will always unapologetically advance America’s interests," Wales said in a statement. "The only legacy he is concerned with is making America greater than ever before."
Remembering the life and legacy of Jimmy Carter
FROMI THE ARCHIVES: Lindsay Chervinsky, presidential historian, joins LiveNOW from FOX's Carel Lajara to honor and discuss former President Jimmy Carter's presidency and legacy.
Big picture view:
While inflation plagued both presidents, Carter had it much worse, facing a peak inflation rate of 14.7% in April 1980. Consumer prices rose 4.2% this May from a year earlier — a three-year high — and though they fell sharpl y from May to June, that decline included lower gas prices fueled by a U.S.-Iran ceasefire. That deal is now in tatters, driving up oil prices again.
Trump suggested he didn't think about Americans' financial woes when it comes to Iran, a war he started in conjunction with Israel in February. More recently, he shrugged off inflation concerns. But resolution has proved tricky and U.S. attacks have intensified anew after Iran's attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Like Trump, Carter was also bedeviled by the strait, declaring during his 1980 State of the Union address that the situation "demands the participation of all those who rely on oil from the Middle East and who are concerned with global peace and stability."
Another Trump-Carter parallel was the Democrat having considered military action to seize Kharg Island, though he ultimately decided against it so as not to jeopardize the hostages. Trump targeted the island with U.S. strikes early in the war, looking to thwart Iranian oil exports, and has threatened it again.
The Source: The information in this story came from reporting by The Associated Press, including comments from the White House and interviews with presidential historians and political analysts. It also draws on President Donald Trump's public remarks about Jimmy Carter, Iran and his presidency, along with historical records, economic data on inflation and details about U.S. policy toward Iran to examine the parallels between the two presidencies. This story was reported from Los Angeles.