Presidential Historian Takes Apart Trump’s Claim He’s ‘Treated Worse’ Than Lincoln

President Donald Trump on Sunday complained that he had been treated worse by the media than another other president, including Abraham Lincoln. Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin gave some perspective to that claim and suggested the president would do well to learn from his predecessors who’ve led through crises.

Goodwin appeared Monday morning on CNN to discuss Trump’s remarks at the Lincoln Memorial for a Fox News virtual town hall. During a tirade against the “hostile press,” the president had gestured toward the monument and said, “I believe I am treated worse” than Lincoln, who was assassinated in 1865.

“It’s an incredible statement when you think about it,” Goodwin said, shaking her head. “You can’t compare the time, either. Yes, it’s true the country is split now in a partisan way. Yes, it’s true that we have a divided media.”