On Biden's Inauguration Day, Trump Will See Himself Out
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the first president in modern history to skip the swearing-in of his successor.
Why do I keep hearing this?
What about Kennedy and Nixon?
Is there some kind of word game here? Maybe those two weren't modern.
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John and Abigail Adams sneaked out of the White House in the dead of night, Grandpa wrote, “so he wouldn’t have to make a turnover to Thomas Jefferson, because he didn’t like Jefferson and was jealous of him, as well …”
Adams' son, John Quincy Adams, waged such a vicious campaign against Grandpa’s favorite president, Andrew Jackson, in 1828 that Rachel Jackson, a sensitive woman who hated politics, died as a result. Adams' campaign was so ugly, said Massee McKinley, that when Jackson won, thousands of his supporters stormed Washington to “make sure the Adamses kept their hair on straight.”
Massee McKinley, founding partner of Peerage Communications in Atlanta, is a presidential descendant double-whammy. He is the great-grand-nephew of William McKinley and great-grandson of Grover Cleveland. He added that Jackson’s supporters ultimately paid less attention to Adams and more to the president-elect himself, packing the White House in such numbers that Jackson feared for his life and ducked out the back.
James Buchanan aided and abetted the Confederacy before losing the presidency to Abraham Lincoln. Herbert Hoover considered his successor, FDR, to be ill-prepared and ill-equipped for the presidency and initially refused to be photographed with him.
More recently, Clinton staffers left George W. Bush’s incoming team with broken furniture and trash in the halls, including pizza boxes. There was also the rumor, unfounded, that some jokers removed all of the “W” keys from the computer keyboards.
Despite the smooth Truman-Eisenhower transition, Grandpa’s relationship with the president-elect was not good. It started well. In fact, when Gen. Eisenhower returned from World War II, Grandpa liked him so much he offered him the presidency. Twice.
Eisenhower politely declined and went on to serve as chief of staff of the Army, supreme allied commander in Europe and president of Columbia University, during which time he and Grandpa got along just fine. But when Ike decided to run for president in 1952, things took a downward turn.
My wife, Polly, and I are friends with two of President Eisenhower’s granddaughters, Susan and Mary Jean, so I’m careful about how I one-sidedly describe the rift that developed between our forebears. Suffice to say that by the 1953 inauguration, they had exchanged barbs and insults, although politely by today’s standards, and were no more than civil when forced to appear together in public. On the ride from the White House to the Capitol, they barely spoke.
Yet the transition was, as Grandpa said, a most orderly turnover, thereby ensuring continuity and solidarity of purpose. In the telegram to Eisenhower inviting him and his Cabinet to the White House, Grandpa wrote:
“I know you will agree with me that there ought to be an orderly transfer of the business of the executive branch of the government to the new administration, particularly in view of the international dangers and problems that confront the country and the whole free world. I invite you, therefore, to meet with me in the White House at your earliest convenience to discuss the problem of this transition, so that it may be clear to all the world that this nation is united in its struggle for freedom and peace.”And from McCullough's biography of Truman:
“When, at 11:30, the Eisenhowers arrived at the North Portico, to start the drive to the Capitol, they refused to come in for a cup of coffee, but sat in the car waiting. Only when the Trumans appeared did they step out of the car to greet them.
“It was a shocking moment,” recalled CBS correspondent Eric Sevareid, who was on the porch close by. “Truman was gracious and he had just been snubbed. He showed his superiority by what he did.”
From the way the two men looked as they drove off in the big Open Lincoln, J. B. West remembered, “I was glad I wasn’t in that car.”
“I ride with Ike in car No. 1 along with Joe Martin and Styles Bridges. Bess and Margie ride with Mrs. Ike,” Truman recorded in his diary. “Conversation is general—on the crowd, the pleasant day, the orderly turnover, etc.”Another anecdote from the biography is where Truman asked Ike for help with the IRS concerning his memoirs. This happened a couple of years after Truman interceded on Ike's behalf to assure the IRS that Ike's memoirs were not subject to ordinary taxation because they were written as part of his function as a general. Ike responded that (paraprhasing) "The President will not get involved in the tax affairs of private citizens."
http://www.taxhistory.org/thp/readings.nsf/ArtWeb/1C91AC0FA1A9E39E85257D1B0041C876?OpenDocument
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the first president in modern history to skip the swearing-in of his successor.
Why do I keep hearing this?
What about Kennedy and Nixon?
Is there some kind of word game here? Maybe those two weren't modern.
@copper said in On Biden's Inauguration Day, Trump Will See Himself Out:
What about Kennedy and Nixon?
Kennedy died.
Nixon resigned and “regret any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to [his deck to resign].”
Maybe Trump will resign before the inauguration and regret any injuries that may have been done in the course of events that led to his resignation too.
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@copper said in On Biden's Inauguration Day, Trump Will See Himself Out:
What about Kennedy and Nixon?
Kennedy died.
Nixon resigned and “regret any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to [his deck to resign].”
Maybe Trump will resign before the inauguration and regret any injuries that may have been done in the course of events that led to his resignation too.
@axtremus said in On Biden's Inauguration Day, Trump Will See Himself Out:
@copper said in On Biden's Inauguration Day, Trump Will See Himself Out:
What about Kennedy and Nixon?
Kennedy died.
Nixon resigned and “regret any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to [his deck to resign].”
Maybe Trump will resign before the inauguration and regret any injuries that may have been done in the course of events that led to his resignation too.
Yes, I get the stupid TDS Stuff.
But neither Kennedy nor Nixon was at the swearing in, and we all know why not, so why say Trump is the first in modern times? Is this just another shot at Trump?
Why bother?
