How Trump's war rhetoric differs from past presidents'

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0:30When you walk up the steps to the Lincoln Memorial, cross the colonnade, and turn to your right, you'll see the text of Lincoln's second inaugural address. It's a short speech, barely 700 words. It was delivered in the waning days of the Civil War, at a moment when Union victory was close at hand. And rather than trumpeting success, Lincoln wrestles with how the nation could have been drawn into the Civil War in the first place. He describes war as an unpredictable force, almost beyond the control of its participants. One of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, he said, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish.

1:07And the war came. Ultimately, Lincoln wonders whether the war was a sort of divine punishment for the sin of slavery. Maybe God willed that it continue until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword. 161 years later, another president delivered another speech about another war. Our armed forces have been extraordinary. There's never been anything like it militarily. Everyone is talking about it. More than a month into the war in Iran, President Trump finally spoke to the nation about it. We're going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.

1:48We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong. Consider this. Trump has always spoken differently than the presidents who came before him. But what does that mean when there's a war going on?

2:06From NPR, I'm Scott Detrow.

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2:37It's Consider This from NPR. American presidents have tended to choose their words carefully in times of war. Words they use to unify the country, explain their strategy, and often make a moral case for war. When it comes to speeches, President Trump has never claimed to be Lincoln or Franklin Roosevelt. Well, here he is this week previewing his primetime address to the nation. Tonight I'm making a little speech at 9 o 'clock. And basically I'm going to tell everybody how great I am. What a great job I've done. What a phenomenal job. What a phenomenal job I've done. We wanted to take a closer look at how Trump's wartime communication fits into the history of the presidency and why that matters.

3:18And for that, I caught up with Barbara Perry. She is the co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. You know, we could start a lot of different places, but one thing that stood out to me is just that he really kind of appears to be reveling in the destruction and the violence brought by military action. You can hear that in this speech just from the other day. Their Air Force is dead, totally, completely dead. It's out of business. No planes left at all. Their anti-aircraft and communications capabilities are totally dismantled and dead. And their leaders are all dead.

3:56Other than that, I think they're doing quite well. I mean, Barbara, how does that compare to other presidents in recent history? Well, Scott, like almost everything that Donald Trump did in the first term and certainly in the second, it's unprecedented. And that's how he got to be president, two times. and that is because he exaggerates. He uses, I'll call it middle school rhetoric. I'm the best, I'm the greatest. There's this braggadocio that you do not see in other presidents because other presidents want to be viewed as serious, as statesman-like, with the weight of the world on their shoulders as they send the sons and daughters of Americans in uniform into harm's way.

4:43What are the through lines about how other presidents have thought about what to communicate and how often to communicate when it comes to war? Well, let's take the second first, and that is how often to communicate. There is a fine line, and most presidents have walked it, between keeping the American people informed and being overexposed. And clearly, Donald Trump doesn't worry about that because he speaks many times throughout the day, which also, I think, then lowers the impact of an important speech as in the primetime speech this week, because people, I think, begin to tune out or they get tired of it or because he has this propensity to exaggerate with superlatives and, let's face it, prevaricate, people begin to lose faith and confidence in what the person is saying.

5:33And that's both at home and abroad. I want to talk about one other important aspect of this. And this is the way that presidents talk about soldiers who have lost their lives. Here's something that President Trump said recently. Sadly, there will likely be more. Before it ends, that's the way it is, likely be more, but we'll do everything possible where that won't be the case. I think that's the way it is really struck a lot of people. How have other presidents handled this hard idea of soldiers dying due to orders that they gave? Well, I will use the example of President George W. Bush, who would go frequently to Walter Reed Hospital to see the wounded warriors.

6:15And so I think that, and then someone like Ronald Reagan talking about the bombing of the barracks by terrorists in Beirut in 1983. I know there are no words that can express our sorrow and grief over the loss of those splendid young men. He just could pick the right phrase to comfort people and to be serious as the commander-in-chief. You know, I'm going to take a skeptical view of this for a moment. You know, the rhetoric has been lofty and soaring and many times America is fighting for democracy. If you're on the other side of that, if a missile is being shot into your community, if troops are invading your community, does it matter what the rhetoric of the U.S.

7:04president is, whether this is framed in lofty goals or in crude, violent goals? Probably not, because humans are human. And if they're being attacked by boots on the ground or from the air, they're just trying to survive. But it might make a difference for what Trump had hoped would happen. And that is that those who want democracy and liberalization in Iran might have felt better if Trump continued to speak to them in, again, more statesmanlike formal terms. Is there a moment in recent history that stands out to you of a president kind of taking the opposite approach and trying to frame American military intervention in a positive way?

7:49Absolutely. And it would be the first Bush, George H.W. Bush, at the end of the first Gulf War. When he spoke to Congress at the end of the war, he told an anecdote. I'm sure that many of you saw on the television the unforgettable scene of four terrified Iraqi soldiers surrendering. And you can actually watch the video that he's speaking about. And obviously our guys have got the weaponry and they're saying it's OK. You know, you're safe. It's going to be all right. That scene says a lot about America, a lot about who we are. Americans are a caring people. We are a good people. And I think that not only because he was a warrior himself, a World War II hero almost lost his life and knew how to present himself as president of the United States.

8:44I dare anyone to watch that and not have a little tear come to their eye. That is Barbara Perry, the co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. Thank you so much. Thank you, Scott. And before we go, a reminder, we are looking for your feedback on the show and how we can make it better for you. So please go to npr.org slash spring survey. You'll find a short list of questions. It's anonymous and it would really help us to hear from you, even if you've done one of these things in the past. npr.org slash spring survey. The link's also in our episode notes.

9:19This episode was produced by Connor Donovan. It was edited by Mallory Yu. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan.

9:29It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow.