Abraham Lincoln is considered by many to be our greatest President, but that high regard was certainly not universal in his lifetime. Most people in the American South considered him the devil incarnate, and many Northerners had a low opinion of his leadership. Quoting from a 2013 article by Mark Bowden in The Atlantic, Lincoln suffered “a steady stream of abuse—in editorials, speeches, journals, and private letters—from those on his own side who were dedicated to the very causes he so ably championed. George Templeton Strong, a prominent New York lawyer and diarist, wrote that Lincoln was ‘a barbarian, Scythian, yahoo, or gorilla.’ Henry Ward Beecher, the Connecticut-born preacher and abolitionist, often ridiculed Lincoln in his newspaper, The Independent  (New York), rebuking him for his lack of refinement and calling him ‘an unshapely man.’ Other Northern newspapers openly called for his assassination long before John Wilkes Booth pulled the trigger. He was called a coward, ‘an idiot,’ and ‘the original gorilla’ by none other than the commanding general of his armies, George McClellan.”  Even the assassination failed to silence some of Lincoln’s critics. Shortly after the fatal shot William Lloyd Garrison Jr. called the murder ‘providential’ because it meant Vice President Andrew Johnson would assume leadership.

Yes, the attacks on President Trump are nothing new to American politics, though the near unanimity of our so-called “mainstream media” in condemning him may be unparalleled.  I deplore the vitriol, and I wish television and print reporters would present a more balanced approach.  Trump is dealing with a myriad of problems that confront our nation, and we anxiously await the results of his various actions. Perhaps he is doing as well as anyone could under the circumstances, and it’s possible that he is leading us into a true golden age. I pray for success.

A showman like our President feeds off the adulation of his supporters, but he never gets anything but contempt from the opposition. Lincoln had an almost imperturbable equanimity along with a great sense of humor. President Trump is no Lincoln.  Until his first election, Donald Trump had little experience with the rough and tumble and downright nastiness of partisan politics.  He was overly sensitive to criticism, a street fighter, and he struck back viciously. Thus far in his second term Trump has demonstrated a bit more maturity. He tends to tease and make fun of his opposition rather than responding to every barb.

Most disturbing to me are those idiots who call for Trump’s assassination. If that happened, his supporters would raise the MAGA flag, and chaos and possible serious civil strife could follow. One outcome would be certain, Trump would be elevated to martyrdom by his followers, and another great memorial would be erected in our nation’s capital.