George Washington was not perfect. However, he will never be surpassed as the ideal President, IMHO.
“3. Washington Decided NOT to make himself supreme ruler of the United States. After risking his life to lead the American Revolution—often bravely putting himself directly in the line of fire—Washington shocked the entire world by voluntarily returning all his powers to the American people and their elected representatives. It was a decision that even led his recently defeated foe, King George III to comment that Washington was “the greatest character of his generation.” We will never know whether this decision was driven by altruism or a self-interested desire to be adored by history. What we do know is that decision aligned perfectly with the pattern of decisions Washington established throughout his lifetime. He was an exemplar of what Wharton professor Adam Grant (link is external) describes as “otherish”—people who are both highly giving and highly self-interested.
4. Washington decided NOT to forego his salary as president. No goal did Washington worked harder at achieving throughout his life than the goal of becoming a benevolent public servant both in reality and in reputation. So after becoming the only unanimously elected president in U.S. history, he declined his annual salary of $25,000. After all, what would history think about the one of the wealthiest men in the cash-strapped country accepting such a handsome salary?
Yet congress convinced him that this ostensibly noble act—like everything Washington did as the nation’s first president—would set an unshakeable precedent for the office. In this case, if he set an expectation that the president would not accept a salary, he was virtually guaranteeing that only the wealthiest people in the nation could afford to be president. That was something that Father Freedom could not stomach for the new republic, so even at the risk of minimizing his legacy of benevolence in the public eye he accepted the salary.
5. Washington decided to free his slaves. That Washington ever owned slaves to begin with has caused my cynical self to scoff at his supposed “greatness.” Yet, of the of the nine U.S. presidents who came from slave-owning families, guess how many set their slaves free? You guessed it—only one. Not only did he free them, he also made arrangements for the younger slaves to be educated and he set up a pension fund for the elderly slaves.
To a large extent, we are all products of our time and place.Throughout our lives, we will all be presented with a difficult choice to rise above that time and place. George Washington was great because he decided to do what others merely talked about doing. Regardless of how self-interested Washington’s motives may or may not have been, it’s easy to imagine a bright future for a world populated by people who view every decision as an opportunity to reveal an uncommon strength of character.”
Excellent points and a well thought out, sound, and thorough response. The simple point I was attempting to make, at 2am, is that ALL far short regardless of how outwardly pious they may live. Trump’s testimony of his faith is good enough for me. What happens privately between his heart and God is not my concern.