There are a number of exclusive clubs, such as Major League pitchers who have thrown a perfect game, “Best Director” Oscar winners, and people who have walked on the moon. But no club seems to have both the exclusiveness and prestige as the group of living former U.S. presidents.
On Jan. 20, Donald Trump joined Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama as the only people alive today who truly know the weight and responsibility of leading the free world. Like those who came before him, Trump must navigate this transition with an eye on his legacy as well as his future.
To begin with, there are the perks that go with leaving the job. The Former Presidents Act of 1958 spells out the benefits Trump will receive as he leaves office, including an annual pension equal to the salary of a cabinet secretary, currently at a little over $221,000. Tax dollars also fund the staff and furnishings of the former president’s official office, as well as Secret Service protection for the former president and their spouse. Upon his death, Trump will also be allowed a funeral with full honors as well as the option to be buried in Arlington ceremony, although only two former presidents, Taft and Kennedy, are currently buried there. Trump, though, along with Carter, served only one term, so he is ineligible for the federal health benefits, which require a minimum of five years of federal service, though he can receive care at military hospitals on his own dime. Finally, all ex-presidents carry the prestigious title of Mr. President with them for life.
Like the presidency itself, the role of former president has settled into expectations of attending state funerals, writing books, and other similar stately routines. In many ways, though, the Trump presidency had shattered norms, and leaving office is no different. He is the only president to be tried by the Senate after being impeached for the second time. If convicted, he may lose all of the above perks except for Secret Service protection. A conviction might also remove a rare option for former presidents, the ability to run again for the White House. Only one president served two non-consecutive terms: Grover Cleveland had his terms split by Benjamin Harrison in the late 1800s. Teddy Roosevelt tried to do it as a third-party candidate in 1912, only to lose to Woodrow Wilson. In my lifetime, no one-term president has attempted another run after losing the White House, preferring to work on their legacy as a former president.
Perhaps no president in American history has turned around his legacy more after leaving office than Jimmy Carter. His administration was dogged by high inflation, the Iran Hostage Crisis, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the energy crisis. In 1980, Ronald Reagan steamrolled him in the election, winning 45 out of 50 states.
But in 1982, Carter founded the Carter Center, which has gone on to cement the former president as one of the greatest humanitarians in American history, working to end suffering and improve the lives of people in over 90 countries. In the over 40 years since he left office, Carter has helped build hundreds of homes with Habitat for Humanity, observed over 100 elections in 39 countries, and reduced Guinea Worm cases in Africa and Asia from 3.5 million in 1986 to just 21 in 2018. It is safe to say that his transformation from a mediocre president to one of the greatest ex-presidents is a lesson for all leaving the White House.
While few have done more than Carter after leaving office, the other living former presidents have worked together on a number of humanitarian missions. Bush and Clinton teamed up to raise funds to support relief efforts after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Bush joined then-President Obama at Ground Zero to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11. All four living former presidents joined together to create One America Appeal to raise funds after hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico left a trail of destruction.
Because of these efforts, as well as the passage of time, a president’s approval rating typically rises after they leave office. For example, the younger Bush’s approval rating went from 40% in 2009 to 61% in 2018. While Trump ended his presidency with an approval rating below 39%, history points to a possible rebound as time passes. Even Nixon saw a 9-point bump between his resignation in 1974 and his death in 1994, although those numbers took a hit when tapes released in 1999 exposed an anti-Semitic streak.
But as we mentioned before, Donald Trump has a history of breaking norms. This includes being the first living president in over 100 years to not go to his successor’s inauguration, usually the first step toward creating a post presidential legacy. Also, being impeached and tried for inciting insurrection against the United States is usually seen as a negative. The results of that Senate trial will also go a long way in shaping his legacy, but at least for the moment, Donald Trump remains one of the very few people to carry the title of Mr. President.
(Aaron Blais teaches at Exeter High School.)