President Trump is obsessed about his legacy. He told one reporter, in an offhand comment, that he was building the White House ballroom as a memorial to himself “because nobody else will.” Construction on a huge arch, located in front of Arlington National Cemetery and modeled after Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, already is being referred to as the “Arc de Trump,” just as I suspect the President intends. And let’s not talk more about the Trump-Kennedy Center and the self-described “Peace President” adding his name to the building that once housed the U.S. Institute for Peace, an agency DOGE pretty much destroyed.
The President has a problem. His words and actions will be more important to his place in history than whatever buildings he names after himself. Adolf Hitler named all kinds of things after himself, including one of the main streets in Berlin (Adolf Hitler Strasse). Once Germany was defeated, Hitler disappeared from streets, postage stamps, coins, buildings, and much more. There is a lesson here for Trump—you will be judged by what you did and said more than on the size of your ballroom or phony peace prizes.
In particular, future historians will dive deeper into the events of January 6, 2021, despite the President’s aggressive attempts to recast that insurrection as a protest of peaceful protesters who were upset that Trump lost the 2020 election. Historians also will study the criminal prosecutions brought against Trump, including his convictions in New York. And biographers will study how Trump made billions as President, allegedly by manipulating federal policy to enrich himself, his family, and his friends and political supporters.
Let’s not forget the issue of civility—or should we say complete absence of civility. The compendium of Trump’s offensive social media posts is perhaps the best evidence of the state of American politics in 2025. Our civil discourse is in the gutter, which is why our democracy is in danger.
Finally, historians will ask themselves why voters chose a 78-year-old man as President, especially after that same man brutally attacked his predecessor as senile and too old to serve. With more than three years left in his second term, Trump regularly falls asleep in meetings, forgets names and facts, and appears ready to start using a wheelchair.
Some believe that Trump’s “decoration” of the White House with gold is the product of a deranged man—think what historians will say about the “Presidential Walk of Fame” and Trump’s holding a military parade to honor his own birthday—June 14th, currently Flag day, but likely to be recast as “Trump’s birthday” within the next 36 months.
I could go on and write about abuses of the pardon power, the appointments of misfits like Pam Bondi, Kristi “ICE Barbie” Noem, Ka$h Patel (yes, that is how he sometimes writes his own name), and the sinister-looking nut case, Stephen Miller. These personalities will be remembered in the future as aberrations—ridiculous appointments that would never have been made by a sane president.
In a word, the prospects for Trump’s future are “bleak.” Is he the worst President in American history? Yes. And even if almost-as-bad J.D. Vance succeeds him, Trump’s place in history is secure.
Happy New Year.
J.E. Dean writes on politics, government, goldendoodles, and other subjects. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean is an advocate for democracy, sanity, and the rule of law.
Special Note to Spy Readers: This is my last regular weekly column. My pieces will now appear occasionally—and hopefully will comment on good things happening in 2026 and focus more on how to make things better than on what I see as the mess we are in. Thank you to those of you who have regularly read my pieces. And I wish everyone, including my detractors, a happy and safe new year.
Jim Bachman says
Has anyone estimated what the cost will be when we raze the ballroom and remove the concrete “rose garden” and re-plant the Rose Garden with living plants?
John E Dean says
Not that I have seen. I suspect the demolition of the ballroom will be quite costly given that it is being built to withstand a drone attack.
Maybe the Saudis or Omanis will buy the Arch de Trump. . .
Jim Bachman says
I think there are ways to mitigate the cost. Auction off opportunities to hammer away with a sledge, jackhammer or wrecking ball.
Although, in retrospect it could make a good courthouse for processing outgoing DHS employees.
Charles W Reeser says
I’m pretty sure Trump and his families Ignominy will go down as the seven deadly sins
John E Dean says
I agree that the Trump family is headed for ignominy, but if you are saying the violated all seven deadly sins, I’m not quite as sure.
Happy New Year.
Bob Kopec says
Trump will be remembered as a rapist, a convicted felon tax cheat 34X, a draft dodger 5X, a wife cheater 3X, a narcissist, a racist, a megalomaniac,a treasonous insurectionist, a pardoner of criminals, corrupt, a divider of a nation,a pathological liar, a desecrator.
Jim Bachman says
He also cheats at golf which according to many golfers is the equivalent of a felony.
Wilson Dean says
Trump’s legacy will no doubt mirror that described in Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem of 1817, “Ozymandias.” In that work, a traveler comes across a broken and crumbling statue of Ozymandias, a self-described “King of Kings” who thought his legacy and what he built would last forever, leading him to proclaim “Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair.” Instead, Shelley tells us “Round the decay of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
While Trump’s grandiose self-image will no doubt follow this path, I sincerely hope our country’s values of compassion and mutual respect for one another rebound and prevail.
John E Dean says
I enthusiastically join you in your hope that our values of compassion and mutual respect for one another will rebound and prevail. My fingers are crossed. Its worth praying for.
Gerry Levin says
He’s already made his legacy. And the sad (and unbelievable) part is that he has no clue. None.
John E Dean says
I think you’re right. Even if Trump “turned himself around,” he will still be remembered for January 6, lying, cruelty, and for “bad personnel decisions,” such as Patel, Bondi, Homan, Stephen Miller, J.D. Vance, Kristi Noem, etc., etc.
Bob Parker says
Part of trump’s legacy will be that he single handedly turned the party of Lincoln into a cabal of spineless zombies while undoing in one year the democracy crafted by our Founding Fathers. In doing so, he also destroyed America’s standing and credibility in the free world. Shame on Trump, he cared naught for ordinary Americans caring only to stroke his ego and enrich his bank account.
John Dean says
Thanks for reading my piece and for your comment. I like to think that Trump has not yet undone America’s democracy. I hope we will see indisputable evidence of that this November that will shield America from much of Trump’s destructive impulses.
I agree with you that Trump has destroyed the Republican party. I don’t see it coming back after Trump. Instead, I hope, we will see a new, principled conservative party emerge that will specifically condemn Trump and Trumpism.
Mary Hunt-Miller says
John,
What strikes me here is the overwhelming agreement you are now getting regarding Trump. No one here is defending him. That did not happen in the past. I am taking that as a good sign for our future.
Frank Foster says
This article is spot on. I wish it received broader distribution. Our dear country is in a crisis mode, worse still with the events I over the weekend.