President Trump is obsessed about his legacy. He told one reporter, in an offhand comment, that he was building the White House ballroom as a memorial to himself “because nobody else will.” Construction on a huge arch, located in front of Arlington National Cemetery and modeled after Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, already is being referred to as the “Arc de Trump,” just as I suspect the President intends. And let’s not talk more about the Trump-Kennedy Center and the self-described “Peace President” adding his name to the building that once housed the U.S. Institute for Peace, an agency DOGE pretty much destroyed.
The President has a problem. His words and actions will be more important to his place in history than whatever buildings he names after himself. Adolf Hitler named all kinds of things after himself, including one of the main streets in Berlin (Adolf Hitler Strasse). Once Germany was defeated, Hitler disappeared from streets, postage stamps, coins, buildings, and much more. There is a lesson here for Trump—you will be judged by what you did and said more than on the size of your ballroom or phony peace prizes.
In particular, future historians will dive deeper into the events of January 6, 2021, despite the President’s aggressive attempts to recast that insurrection as a protest of peaceful protesters who were upset that Trump lost the 2020 election. Historians also will study the criminal prosecutions brought against Trump, including his convictions in New York. And biographers will study how Trump made billions as President, allegedly by manipulating federal policy to enrich himself, his family, and his friends and political supporters.
Let’s not forget the issue of civility—or should we say complete absence of civility. The compendium of Trump’s offensive social media posts is perhaps the best evidence of the state of American politics in 2025. Our civil discourse is in the gutter, which is why our democracy is in danger.
Finally, historians will ask themselves why voters chose a 78-year-old man as President, especially after that same man brutally attacked his predecessor as senile and too old to serve. With more than three years left in his second term, Trump regularly falls asleep in meetings, forgets names and facts, and appears ready to start using a wheelchair.
Some believe that Trump’s “decoration” of the White House with gold is the product of a deranged man—think what historians will say about the “Presidential Walk of Fame” and Trump’s holding a military parade to honor his own birthday—June 14th, currently Flag day, but likely to be recast as “Trump’s birthday” within the next 36 months.
I could go on and write about abuses of the pardon power, the appointments of misfits like Pam Bondi, Kristi “ICE Barbie” Noem, Ka$h Patel (yes, that is how he sometimes writes his own name), and the sinister-looking nut case, Stephen Miller. These personalities will be remembered in the future as aberrations—ridiculous appointments that would never have been made by a sane president.
In a word, the prospects for Trump’s future are “bleak.” Is he the worst President in American history? Yes. And even if almost-as-bad J.D. Vance succeeds him, Trump’s place in history is secure.
Happy New Year.
J.E. Dean writes on politics, government, goldendoodles, and other subjects. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean is an advocate for democracy, sanity, and the rule of law.
Special Note to Spy Readers: This is my last regular weekly column. My pieces will now appear occasionally—and hopefully will comment on good things happening in 2026 and focus more on how to make things better than on what I see as the mess we are in. Thank you to those of you who have regularly read my pieces. And I wish everyone, including my detractors, a happy and safe new year.
