If President John F. Kennedy had lived, he would have celebrated his 100th birthday on May 29, 2017. Unfortunately, he was assassinated on November 22, 1963, at the age of 46. Historians compared a most beloved president with the one who is president today. They concluded that the 35th President of United States and the 45th President of the United States had more in common than most people know.
Kennedy and Trump alike
Both presidents were second sons of their successful fathers. Both grew up wealthy and privileged. Kennedy and Donald Trump were well-known celebrities before they became presidents.
They were unlikely presidential candidates when they began to campaign. Everyone expected their opponents to win mainly because the opponents had more political experience. Trump had absolute no experience in Politics before he became president.
Despite Kennedy’s history as being a womanizer, he defeated Richard M. Nixon by only a small margin. Despite Trump’s womanizing and demeaning of women, he won the presidency with more electoral college votes, even though Hillary Clinton had more popular votes.
Kennedy and Trump were the first to use modern avenues for political communication. Kennedy used television, and people know how much Trump tweets at all hours of the day and night.
Kennedy and Trump different
As much as Trump is like Kennedy, there are some very big differences between the two presidents. Kennedy was the youngest elected president at 43, and Trump was the oldest elected president at 70. Kennedy was from a famous political family. He himself had political experience before being elected president.
He was a Democrat who had served in the House and the Senate. Trump, a Republican, had absolutely no experience, and he is the first one in his family to be involved in politics. When they were younger, both men were ambitious and wealthy playboys who ended up with beautiful wives and children.
In 1957, Kennedy won a Pulitzer Prize for his book "Profiles in Courage" about United States senators.
In 1987, Trump wrote a best-seller called "The Art of the Deal" focusing on business advice.
Kennedy was a president loved by most people. At the 100-day mark, his favorable approval rating was 83 percent. Trump is an unpopular president. His public approval rating was only 41 percent. Perhaps on Trump's 100th birthday, he will be compared to the current president at that time.
