Donald Trump’s recent electoral victory is reminiscent of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s in 1932 in that, in each, the voters gave permission to transform the relationship between the citizens and the federal government.
In 1932, Americans were scared as the Great Depression was reaching its climax. “Real GDP fell 29% from 1929 to 1933. The unemployment rate reached a peak of 25% in 1933. Consumer prices fell 25%; wholesale prices plummeted 32%. Some 7,000 banks, nearly a third of the banking system, failed between 1930 and 1933,” reports the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis.
In his campaign in 1932, Roosevelt connected with the pain of voters running as the “progressive candidate with constructive policies,” as opposed to incumbent Herbert Hoover, who asked voters to stay the course. Roosevelt’s campaign was one of addition and multiplication; he expanded the Democratic Party by adding, according to the Miller Center, “lower-income groups in the great cities — African Americans, union members, and ethnic and religious minorities, many from recent immigrant groups — and the traditional source of Democratic strength, ‘the Solid South.’” Intellectuals and classical liberals joined them.
Roosevelt won 42 of the 48 states and swept Democrats into control of the Senate, where the party gained 12 seats, and the House of Representatives, where they gained 97 seats to form the 97th Congress. Americans had given Roosevelt the mandate for change he had asked for during the 1932 campaign and reiterated in his first Inaugural Address, where he stated, “Restoration calls, however, not for changes in ethics alone. This Nation asks for action, and action now.” He would go on to state that the American people, “have made me the present instrument of their wishes. In the spirit of the gift, I take it.”
The table was set for Roosevelt to act except for one thing — a proof point that what he promised would deliver tangible results quickly. Roosevelt saw clearly that he faced a crisis in confidence, and he knew that one successful strategic action would put Americans at ease; he was willing to lengthen his leash to pursue policies that were bolder and would take longer to yield results.
Franklin Roosevelt was sworn in on March 4, 1933. On March 6, he closed the banking system in response to runs on the banks by depositors. On March 13, he reopened the banking system with new reforms and safeguards, including federal deposit insurance, in place. The Federal Reserve of New York reported that “depositors stood in line to return their hoarded cash.” This was the launch point for the “New Deal” that would fundamentally change the relationship between the federal government and its people.
In 1936, Roosevelt would win 523 electoral votes to Republican Alfred Landon’s 8 votes won in Maine and New Hampshire. He would also maintain large majorities in Congress. During his first term, Roosevelt continued to build support and to outpace his opposition that would form on both his left and right over issues like court packing, tax policies and class warfare.
Like Roosevelt, Donald Trump realigned his party and won an electoral mandate by building a new coalition of voters to support him, including labor, Catholics, Hispanics and Black men. He has also helped Republicans gain control of Congress, albeit by much smaller margins than FDR. Trump has been given permission by the voters to transform the federal government.
Like Roosevelt in 1932, Trump has been consistent in his messaging. He has stressed closing the border, deporting illegal migrants, eliminating the Department of Education, imposing tariffs to protect American jobs, expanding drilling and ending America’s involvement in foreign wars. Trump’s victory was not only political but cultural, as Americans are turning the page of Joe Biden’s divisive equity agenda.
Trump has been given permission by the voters to transform the federal government. Toward this end, he is creating DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who are tasked with streamlining government to eliminate $2 trillion in federal expenditures and cost savings.
Trump faces a similar challenge to Roosevelt’s in making sure his first move is the right move to deliver results quickly, to assure Americans that he is on the right path to deliver on his promise to Make America Great Again. The challenge is that he cannot pick an issue that is too big or too divisive or he will find himself providing fuel to his opponents and exhausting the momentum he will need to tackle the larger and more complex issues down the road (such as eliminating the Department of Education, which will take an act of Congress and likely many months to achieve).
Trump should start by defining what success looks like in his Inaugural Address on Jan. 20, 2025, rather than restating his campaign promises. The goal should be to present a vision of where his policies will take America. He will then need to choose one action that will deliver tangible results quickly, like Roosevelt’s bank holiday, as a proof point.
If Trump chooses wisely, his presidency stands to be marked by addition and multiplication in support, distancing from his critics and positioning himself to build a legacy on par with Franklin Roosevelt.
Dennis M. Powell is a public affairs strategist, an adviser at Massey Powell and author of the book, “Leading from the Top: Presidential Lessons in Issues Management.”
