Talkin' About.... In today's political climate, would maverick presidents like Teddy Roosevelt be treated much like Trump by the media?

Today’s Question: In today's political climate, would maverick presidents like Teddy Roosevelt be treated much like Trump by the media?

Dear Quora Member:

Theodore Roosevelt was not, as you say, a “maverick” President, at least not in the same “inexperienced tyro with lots of money (supposedly, anyway)” maverick persona as that of “The Donald.”

TR was already a well-known Republican politician by the time that the GOP grandees convinced incumbent President William McKinley to choose him as his running mate for the 1900 Presidential election. Even by today’s standards, Roosevelt was experienced; by 1899, he’d already been a member of New York’s state assembly, police commissioner of New York City, governor of New York, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, war hero in the Spanish-American War, and, perhaps, a possible candidate for the Presidency in the near future.

Roosevelt believed that he was living on borrowed time, and that he was born to be President of the United States. Like Donald Trump, he was from New York City and had a large ego. Unlike Trump, though, he was a progressive Republican who believed that government had an obligation to help those Americans who could not help themselves.

I’m not going to delve into TR’s entire biography here; there is an excellent documentary by Ken Burns (The Roosevelts: An Intimate History) that every American, regardless of party affiliation, should watch.

What I will say is that TR was named Vice President by the powers-that-be in the Republican Party because they felt that his progressive ideas were anathema to the interests of the wealthy robber barons of the time. They figured that Teddy could do no harm as long as he was McKinley’s Vice President, because as far as they were concerned, that office really has no power over much of anything.

That was, of course, true. Vice Presidents usually don’t do anything of substance; their job is to resolve the occasional tie-vote in the Senate, represent the U.S. at various state occasions overseas, and wait in the wings in case a President dies, is removed from office, or becomes too incapacitated to serve.

Well, the powers-that-be did not count on William McKinley being shot and killed in late 1901. Otherwise, they’d have thought twice about even suggesting the inclusion of TR in the ticket for ‘00.

Like Trump today, TR was already a well-known individual, and the media of the day loved him. Even his political opponents and their media allies loved to hate him because, like Trump, he was “good copy” that made for good sales of newspapers and magazines.

Here, though, is where the comparisons end.

Why?

Because, despite what Trump supporters claim so fervently, Theodore Roosevelt was one of the best Presidents in American history, whereas Tweeto von Cheeto is clearly one of the worst.

Roosevelt, it must be pointed out, was not a perfect President or even a perfect man. Until he lost a son (Quentin) in World War I, TR was what you might call a warmonger. He believed that America was destined to be a great world power, and like many men of his era, he believed that wars were not only necessary, but also good for the nation’s health and sense of manhood.

He was also not shy about bullying a sovereign nation (Colombia) into accepting a treaty that would allow the U.S. to build a canal across what was then the Colombian department (state) of Panama and claim a zone around it for the U.S. to have sole ownership over. His reaction to the news that the Colombian senate had not ratified the treaty was to then instigate a “revolt” by Panamanians who promised to ratify a similar treaty if the U.S. supported their bid for independence. TR did, and when the Colombian army tried to quell the rebellion, he sent the U.S. Navy to the area to dissuade Colombia from reclaiming its now lost province. So there’s that.

Nevertheless, TR was a progressive Republican who placed the interests of the average American ahead of those of the rich and powerful billionaires and their vast monopolistic empires. He believed that there should be a Square Deal for every citizen of the U.S., and not just for the ruling class of America’s meritocracy.

So. would Teddy Roosevelt be treated like Trump by today’s media?

Yes…and no.

TR being, well, TR, would get as much coverage as Cadet Bone Spurs across the vast spectrum of today’s media outlets even if he wasn’t President of the United States. His persona was that big, as was his impressive resume.

However, the coverage would be totally the opposite of Trump’s. The traditional media would probably like him - except for his views on war - while the outlets that now like Trump, i.e. Breitbart, Fox News, InfoWars, and all of the more rabid “conservative” web sites and publications that cater to the far right of the GOP would hate TR.