Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The post also named five presidents who broke it.
Presidents usually observe a quiet courtesy when discussing those who served before them, but Donald Trump does not shy away from any chance to criticize the presidents who served before him.
In a post on Truth Social from August 28, he shared a graphic naming five presidents who built America and five who broke it.
The image placed Trump as one of the presidents who built the country, alongside George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Ronald Reagan.
Each portrait features a descriptor, chosen by the creator of the meme, and under Trump, it says “America First”, while it says “Union” under Lincoln and “Strength” under Reagan.
Opposite them sat five leaders accused of breaking the nation, including James Buchanan, Woodrow Wilson, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Jimmy Carter.
The image tagged Carter with “weakness” while labeling Biden as “decline” and Obama as “division.”
Trump’s Carter feud
This shared graphic is not the first time Trump has targeted Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th president.
Back in October 2024, Trump openly mocked Carter during a campaign stop at a manufacturing facility.
“Jimmy Carter is the happiest man because Jimmy Carter is considered a brilliant president by comparison,” he said, according to reports from The Daily Beast and USA Today.
That sharp criticism briefly paused when Carter passed away in late December 2024 at the age of 100.
A temporary truce
Trump published a surprisingly warm statement on Truth Social following the news of Carter’s passing.
He acknowledged the heavy responsibility of leading the nation. “The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country, and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans,” Trump wrote.
He added that “we all owe him a debt of gratitude.”
Feud over flags
The sudden post-mortem warmth did not last very long. Friction soon erupted over national flag protocols leading into the presidential inauguration.
Official regulations from the Department of Veterans Affairs require federal flags to fly at half-staff for thirty days after a former president dies.
Trump complained publicly that nobody wanted lowered flags during his inauguration ceremony. House Speaker Mike Johnson eventually declared the flags would fly at full staff on Inauguration Day.
