What would seem to be an innocent decision to cancel a trip to the Milwaukee headquarters of Harley-Davidson amid protests and instead have executives over for lunch at the White House has raised questions about whether President Donald Trump is developing a fortress mentality akin to the Nixon White House.
Presidential scholars already are drawing comparisons between Trump and former President Richard Nixon for his authoritarian-like proclivities and public battles with journalists. Nixon faced large protests across major cities after he was inaugurated as well – albeit those were anti-war demonstrations during the height of the Vietnam war.
Nixon’s White House would later become known as almost a bunker, where the president and loyal staffers holed up, away from scrutinizing cameras. If he did travel, Nixon took the precautions.
“Richard Nixon would like to land at military bases, and they would turn out some military who would applaud him,” said George Edwards, a presidential scholar at Texas A&M University. “He’d work the fence line a little bit as opposed to going to places where there would be lots of problems.”
Several historians could not recall a similar trip cancellation in the United States in modern history. But Trump would not be the first president struggling in the polls to try to avoid situations where the news media could show lots of people opposing him.
The cancellation, in just the second week of Trump’s tenure, highlights the strong current of opposition that has besieged the new White House. Since his inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump has faced two weeks of demonstrations over his election and executive orders that have called for tougher enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws and a temporary ban from several Muslim-majority nations.
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The White House downplayed the significance of the canceled visit. Press Secretary Sean Spicer said it just was easier for the executives to come to the White House, “considering the week, and all of the activity that’s been going on.”
Spicer said no final plans had been made for the trip and emphasized that the decision had nothing to do with the protests.
When hundreds of thousands of women showed up to march on the capital the day after the Trump’s inauguration, the event immediately drew comparisons to the protests following Nixon’s inauguration in 1969 when anti-war protesters threw burning miniature flags and stones at police. It also reminded pundits of the his 1973 inauguration when an estimated 100,000 protesters gathered at the Washington Monument to protest the Vietnam War, which Nixon had promised to end.
Richard Nixon would like to land at military bases and they would turn out some military who would applaud him. George Edwards, Texas A&M University
Trump is already known to keep to himself. He rarely left Trump Tower, often limiting his travels to the elevator connecting his three-story penthouse directly to his 26th floor office. In Washington, he’s kept a similar schedule, with a squad of friends and loyal advisers nearby.
In the case of the Wisconsin visit, Harley Davidson had reportedly grown concerned about a coalition of more than a dozen groups in Milwaukee organized a demonstration outside the motorcycle company’s headquarters. They launched a phone drive against the company, and more than 4,600 expressed an interest in joining the planned demonstration, according to the Facebook page of the Milwaukee Coalition Against Trump.
Maricela Aguilar, 25, one of the coalition’s leaders, said in an interview that Trump has galvanized the largely segregated Milwaukee community where minority leaders don’t often get along. The coalition includes several worker unions as well as black, immigrant, and Muslim rights activists from Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Wisconsin, Jewish Voice for Peace, Milwaukee Immigrants in Action and Showing Up for Racial Justice.
“Coalition work of this kind is pretty difficult,” Aguilar said. “In recent history, I don’t remember having something this broad based and active. We’re really excited these groups are working together. We’ve really been able to mobilize together and turn people out.”
Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn't these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly.
Trump has struggled in the polls. No president has reached majority disapproval so early in their presidency since Gallup began tracking presidential job approval in 1945.
Modern technology also made it easier for Trump to avoid the traditional news media outlets and forums.
Occasionally, Nixon sought to use images of protesters to try to win votes from his base in middle America. He once issued a campaign ad that seemed to make fun of protesters. Trump has at times taken a similar approach via Twitter.
The opposition party. President Donald Trump
During the Women’s March following his inauguration, Trump seemed miffed: “Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn’t these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly.”
Like Nixon, Trump also has had a combative relationship with the press and prefers keeping journalists at a healthy distance. Trump has only given one formal press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May since he became president.
In his final press conference, Nixon famously told reporters “You won’t have Nixon to kick around anymore.”
Trump calls reporters: “the opposition party.”
Anita Kumar contributed.
Email: fordonez@mcclatchydc.com; Twitter: @francoordonez.
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