Trump Softens Tone on Jimmy Carter as Iran War and Inflation Echo 1980
WASHINGTON — For years, former President Jimmy Carter was one of Donald Trump’s favorite political punching bags — a symbol of Democratic weakness he could jeer at to project strength. But lately, Trump’s tone has shifted dramatically. As he confronts an unending war with Iran, stubborn inflation, and the specter of his own historical legacy, the president has begun speaking about the 39th president with a newfound wistfulness that analysts say reflects an uncomfortable realization: his presidency may be following Carter’s playbook.
According to AP News, Trump’s sentiments on Carter have evolved from derision to reflection as he faces challenges strikingly similar to those that defined Carter’s single term from 1977 to 1981.
The Parallels That Can’t Be Ignored
The most glaring similarity is Iran. The United States has been at war with Iran since February 28, 2026, when U.S.-Israeli airstrikes killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other Iranian officials. The conflict has cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $113.3 billion as of June 2026, according to Wikipedia, and shows no signs of resolution. A ceasefire signed in June collapsed on July 8 after attacks by both sides.
Then there is inflation. Consumer prices rose 4.2% in May 2026 from a year earlier — a three-year high. While that is far below Carter’s peak of 14.7% in April 1980, the trend has proven stubborn. A brief respite driven by lower gas prices during the now-collapsed ceasefire has given way to renewed upward pressure on oil prices.
Both presidents also faced crises involving the Strait of Hormuz, the critical chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes. Carter declared during his 1980 State of the Union address that the situation demanded global participation. Trump is now grappling with Iran’s blockade of the strait and the economic fallout that follows.
A Remarkable Shift in Rhetoric
The change in Trump’s language is striking. Asked last month why he didn’t dispatch U.S. Special Forces into Iran to remove enriched uranium, Trump responded: “I didn’t feel like being Jimmy Carter” — a reference to the failed 1980 Operation Eagle Claw hostage rescue mission that killed eight American servicemen and, as Trump himself noted in March, “cost them the election.”
Jonathan Alter, author of the Carter biography “His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life,” told AP News that the comparison is “dawning” on Trump. “I think it is dawning on him — it’s getting through even his thick skull — that he’s kicked over a hornet’s nest and his presidency might be remembered for some of the same things Jimmy Carter’s presidency is,” Alter said.
Kori Schake, a former member of George W. Bush’s National Security Council, is more skeptical. “He doesn’t stitch facts together and create theories,” she said, suggesting Trump may not be engaging in genuine historical reassessment.
Stark Differences Remain
Despite the parallels, the two presidents could hardly be more different in character and conduct. Carter was married to Rosalynn for 77 years, was deeply religious, and pledged never to lie to the American people. Trump is twice divorced, relishes public confrontation, and has made tens of thousands of false or misleading statements during his time in public life.
On financial ethics, the contrast is equally sharp. Carter placed his family’s peanut business in a blind trust. Trump, meanwhile, took in nearly $1.2 billion from his crypto businesses last year while in office, according to AP News.
Perhaps most significantly, Carter chose restraint where Trump chose war. The 39th president seriously considered but ultimately rejected military action to seize Iran’s Kharg Island, fearing it would jeopardize American hostages and escalate into a full-scale conflict. “While the Carter administration gave serious consideration to attacking Kharg Island, the reason they didn’t do it was they didn’t want to be at war with Iran,” Schake noted. “And we’re already at war with Iran.”
A President Obsessed with Legacy
Trump’s shift on Carter coincides with a broader preoccupation with presidential history. He has lately name-checked many of his predecessors — praising William McKinley’s tariffs, Teddy Roosevelt as a “great he-man,” and citing Herbert Hoover’s “economic catastrophe” as a cautionary tale. He even listed some of Carter’s accomplishments on the “Walk of Fame” he installed along the White House Colonnade.
“I’m a student of a lot of history,” Trump said this week.
James P. Pfiffner, a professor emeritus at George Mason University, offered a blunt assessment. “Trump is thinking of his legacy, and he might have thought that attacking Iran would have enhanced it. But, in fact, it will seriously hurt,” Pfiffner told AP News. “If he had learned anything from Carter’s experience — and listened to predictions about the Strait of Hormuz — he would have hesitated. But he ignored lessons of history and geography.”
What Comes Next
With U.S. midterm elections approaching in November, the parallels to 1980 grow more ominous. Alter raised the possibility that Iran may attempt to influence U.S. domestic politics, as they allegedly did during Carter’s reelection campaign. “These people are master diplomats, and they proved that during the Carter administration,” Alter said. “They’re proving that again. They’re really good at rope-a-dope.”
Carter had decades of a post-presidency to rebuild his reputation, earning a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 and a legacy that transcended his difficult four years in office. Trump, at 79, is unlikely to have the same luxury of time.
As TIME magazine noted in March, the president who mercilessly mocked Carter’s legacy now risks reliving it. Whether Trump can escape the historical trap that ensnared his predecessor remains the defining question of his second term.