I don’t think Ex-Presidents getting rich was a thing yet or I’m sure he would have cashed in. As the product of a corrupt KC political machine I’d doubt he’d have had a moral objection.
If I had to vote for “best” 20th century RAT president, Truman gets my vote for at least being “least bad” RAT. Certainly I find him more likeable and honest than the sleazy corrupt horndog JFK and his faux “Camelot” persona. Ironic since Truman was a product of one the most corrupt RAT political machines in the country at the time, as you noted. I still would have voted for Dewey over Trump, and the Fair Deal was pretty much New Deal lite. But meh, JFK would have done a lot more damage if he had lived.
WOW. I was wrong, Truman actually invented ex-Presidents getting rich and that’s the least of it.
He had the nerve to complain income taxes ate up his memoir profits, then convinced Congress to give ex-Presidents a pension. Oh yeah but he was actually rich, worth 6.6 mil in today’s dollars at the time he left office. 2 mil of that money he made while President by EMBEZZLING from an expense account he was given.
He had made another 3.7 mil in todays dollars from selling his memoirs and speaking engagements by the time Congress passed the pension. I’m gonna try to post this.