By David DelCollo, Attorney

Before Your Fear of Donald Trump Drives You to Pack Your Bags and Depart for Lands Unknown, You May Want to Take a Brief Look at the Lives of Some of Our Past Presidents.

Donald Trump

The political landscape these days appears to be more like a reality show starring Donald Trump than a presidential election. And while some people are absolutely convinced that Donald Trump as president would be the end of the civilized world as we know it, I beg to differ. First and foremost, let me say that I am in no way endorsing Donald Trump or any other presidential candidate for that matter. Rather, I believe that while Donald Trump may have his flaws and failings, he certainly would not be the first to break the mold of our “ideal” American President.

Leading the birth of our great country, George Washington may be considered one of the most influential presidents in history, guiding America through the Revolution and eventually our independence. However, most people are not aware that Washington was the least educated president in history, with only 8 years of schooling and having never attended any type of formal college or institution. Washington also had a somewhat callous personality, especially towards his slaves, as his diaries reveal that during one of the coldest days of record in the State of Virginia, when even Washington found it too cold to ride his horse, he had his slaves outside draining the swamps and performing other arduous work with little to no protective clothing. And while it could be argued that Washington’s great reputation is based on his leadership during the Revolutionary War, ultimately Washington lost more battles than he won as he barely eked out an American victory.

Another significant figure in presidential history is Abraham Lincoln, whom is regarded as “the Great Emancipator,” for having abolished slavery. Prior to his presidency, however, Lincoln actually ran on a platform of the creation of the Fugitive Slave Act. This depressing bit of derangement made it a citizen’s duty to hunt down and report runaway slaves, not doing so could result in steep fines and imprisonment. It was this Act that also stripped the free-born non-slaves of the few rights they did have, for they could easily be enslaved if a plantation owner simply claimed they were “runaway.” In addition to enacting and enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act when he became President, Lincoln also had a vision of an America that was completely and utterly devoid of African-Americans. In 1863 Lincoln personally approved an order for freed slaves to be sent to remote colonies in Central and South America.   And while most of Lincoln’s Presidency was less-than-enlightened, our history books only revere him as a great man who abolished slavery.

Prior to becoming president, Franklin Pierce killed an old woman when he ran her down with his horse. Andrew Johnson was noticeably drunk during his inauguration ceremony, having consumed too many whiskeys prior to the event. Grover Cleveland was literally a cradle robber as he became the guardian of his law partner’s young daughter after the passing of her father, only to later marry her and move her into the White House. Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy were openly womanizers, having countless extramarital affairs both before and during their terms as President. Jimmy Carter once made a formal report that he saw a UFO and Ronald Regan was a “C” student who spent his entire career as an actor.   The list could go on and on.

I guess the point to all of this is that while Donald Trump may say some things that are a bit uncouth, he is by no means unable to serve this country and do it pretty well. I mean let’s face it, he is a very well-educated, billionaire-businessman who has built and maintained a global empire. And of course while his pundits will argue that his business has sustained several bankruptcies which tarnish his success, show me any long sustaining business that has not gone through hard times over the past 20 years. In 2007-2008 alone, companies Bear Sterns, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, American Home Mortgage, and many others completely ceased to exist, and these were great companies that laid the foundation of the modern U.S. economy.

Famous author Peter Drucker once said, “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” So while we may have to deal with some outlandish statements, inappropriate gestures, and ideas that are, well, unconventional, I think we must reserve judgment if and until Donald Trump becomes President in 2017. You never know, he may even go down in history as one of the “greats.”