Donald Trump has expressed admiration for President William McKinley:

McKinley supported big business, protective tariffs, and economic growth policies that favored industrialists—similar to Trump’s alignment with corporate interests and tax cuts for the wealthy.

1. Trump often praises historical figures who supported American manufacturing and business over regulation.
   
   

2. Tariff Advocacy

• Trump has referenced McKinley’s protectionism as a precedent for his own.

• McKinley was a fierce advocate of high tariffs to protect American industries, especially steel and manufacturing—echoed in Trump’s own “America First” trade policy and tariff wars, especially with China.

3. Expansion of Executive Power

• the McKinley presided over a period when the executive branch’s power began expanding, laying groundwork for later presidential dominance.

• Trump often invokes strongman imagery and favors an assertive executive role, which fits this mold.

4. Nationalism and American Expansion

• Under McKinley, the U.S. annexed Hawaii, and gained Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines after the Spanish-American War—early steps in American imperial expansion.

• Trump has hinted at admiration for “strong” national expansionist policies, including once joking about buying Greenland.

5. Media Control

• McKinley was skilled at managing public perception and media, creating one of the first modern presidential campaigns using newspapers to shape public opinion—Trump similarly thrives on media manipulation, especially via social media.

6. Republican Party Legacy

• McKinley is viewed by some as a transformational Republican figure, helping cement the party’s dominance in the early 20th century.

• Trump sees himself as a reshaper of the GOP—pushing it toward populism, nationalism, and personal loyalty.