As Donald Trump's term ends at noon on Wednesday, historians are assessing the legacy of a presidency marked by unprecedented events. Matthew Continetti of the American Enterprise Institute notes that Trump will be remembered as the first president impeached twice, with the 6 January Capitol riot shaping historical narratives. Continetti highlights Trump's role in spreading election fraud myths, his handling of the Charlottesville protest, and the rise of right-wing extremism during his tenure.
Laura Belmonte, a history professor at Virginia Tech, criticises Trump's foreign policy, describing it as an attempt to surrender global leadership for an inward-looking approach. She points to his 2018 Helsinki press conference with Vladimir Putin, where he sided with Russia over US intelligence, as a jaw-dropping moment. Belmonte also cites withdrawals from the Paris climate accord and the Iranian nuclear framework, and alignment with authoritarian leaders like Turkey's Erdogan and Brazil's Bolsonaro.
Kathryn Brownell of Purdue University focuses on Trump's impact on democracy, noting his use of misinformation and the introduction of 'alternative facts' by Kellyanne Conway. She argues that the post-election period and the Capitol riot will dominate historical assessments, similar to Watergate's effect on Richard Nixon's legacy.
Despite these criticisms, Continetti acknowledges that had Trump conceded peacefully, he might have been remembered as a disruptive but consequential populist, citing pre-pandemic economic growth, a conservative Supreme Court majority, and Operation Warp Speed for Covid-19 vaccines.
