Trump Repeated The Mistake Made By A U.S. President Who Lost The Election 160 Years Ago

That's an interesting parallel.

U.S. President Donald Trump repeated the political mistake made by his predecessor, Andrew Johnson, exactly 160 years ago. He turned the midterm elections into a referendum on his own policies and personality. In 1866, a similar campaign resulted in a crushing defeat for the president’s supporters and a strengthening of his opponents in Congress. Now American history may teach Trump the same lesson, writes The Atlantic.

After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, Johnson assumed the presidency and came into conflict with the Republican majority in Congress. The dispute centered on the reconstruction of the Southern states after the Civil War, the protection of the rights of freed slaves, and the return of former Confederate leaders to power.

The president pardoned thousands of former Confederates, vetoed legislative initiatives regarding the rights of Black Americans, and embarked on a national tour to support his own candidates. His speeches were accompanied by scandals, attacks on opponents, and verbal spats with the audience.

Journalist Edward Whipple wrote at the time that Johnson “turns the presidency into a soapbox one moment and a throne the next—depending on whether he wants to curry favor or issue orders.”

The result turned out to be the opposite of what the president had expected: the Republicans not only retained their majority but also won enough seats to override a presidential veto. Two years later, Johnson became the first U.S. president to be impeached.

In 2026, Trump also focused his campaign on defending his own achievements, diverting attention from issues like the cost of living and high gas prices. Some Republican candidates even began to distance themselves from the White House.

Both U.S. presidents prioritized their own political ambitions over the party’s interests and turned the battle for Congress into a personal feud. Johnson’s story shows just how costly this can be for a head of state.

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