Trump’s obsession with legacy is doomed to backfire

President Donald Trump has spent much of his second term obsessed with vanity projects to affirm his own legacy, but according to a new analysis from the New York Times, these efforts are doomed to be stripped away, leaving him to be forever defined by his own greed.

It has become a running joke that Trump, when pressed about something serious that the president should have to address — like his war with Iran or the cost of living crisis — will change the subject to his White House ballroom project. Aside from that wildly expensive endeavor, he has also spearheaded the construction of a "triumphal arch" in Washington, D.C., and a remodel of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Not content with physical constructions, he has also made a major push to add his name to as many institutions as he can get away with.

Writing for the New York Times on Thursday, contributor Noah Schachtman observed that "Donald Trump has been thinking a lot about his place in history," which explains "why he’s paying so little attention to his plummeting popularity and so much attention to remodeling Washington in his own image." Despite his best efforts, however, "there’s no arch high enough, no ballroom gilded enough, to distract from the mountain of corruption he’s constructing." While Trump might fancy himself as part of the pantheon of famous world leaders, his destiny lies in the gutter of history instead.

"This week’s announcement of a $1.8 billion government slush fund — ostensibly for victims of what Mr. Trump has called the Justice Department’s 'weaponization,' but almost certainly destined for his allies — guarantees it," Schachtman wrote. "The president may wish to be considered in the same class as Napoleon or Alexander the Great, but he is in danger of turning himself into the next Mobutu Sese Seko or Mohamed Suharto: a kleptocrat remembered not for his ideas, not for his power, but for his greed."

Seko served as the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and then Zaire from 1965 to 1997, and was famed for his massive corruption, using his power to enrich himself to the tune of $5 billion, according to higher estimates. Suharto was president of Indonesia from 1967 to 1998, and was similarly known for widespread corruption, as well as his brutal authoritarian leadership style.

Despite being, as Schachtman put it, "the defining political figure of the last decade," he has had "relatively few legacy-making accomplishments" to show for it. Throughout his time in politics, he has preferred to cut "deals," as he insists that he is famous for, that end up essentially bullying institutions into short-term changes, instead of investing in long-term reforms.

Ultimately, though, "Mr. Trump’s scheming will define him and his family," Schachtman concluded, as "openly monetizing the presidency" has been his one "true innovation" in politics. When a new leader enters the White House, all of his vanity projects will be stripped away, leaving him to be defined by corruption, despite his efforts.

"When he leaves office, the Trump name will most likely be stripped from the Kennedy Center," Schachtman wrote. "The challenge coins he’s affixed to the White House doors will no doubt be stripped away. His 'enhancements' to the Oval Office may eventually be remodeled away. All that will be left is his reputation. Mr. Trump has made that synonymous with corruption forever."

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