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The Conversation
The Conversation
Politics
Maurizio Valsania, Professor of American History, Università di Torino

President Trump may think he is President Jackson reincarnated − but there are lessons in Old Hickory’s resistance to sycophants

A painting of President Andrew Jackson hangs in the Oval Office on the day Donald Trump was inaugurated for the second time, Jan. 20, 2025. AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The portrait of President Andrew Jackson has recently made a comeback in the Oval Office. “Old Hickory” – Jackson’s nickname – has long been a favorite of President Donald Trump.

Trump identifies with Jackson on many levels. As a man and a leader, he likes the brash, confrontational, hypermasculine, lionlike attitude that characterized the seventh president. Jackson pushed executive power to the limits, just like Trump tries to do.

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