NEW YORK — Throughout U.S. history, there have been several presidents who have been elected to multiple terms, and Donald Trump has now become part of that exclusive group by serving as both the 45th and 47th president. However, he is only the second president to do so after an interruption of four years between his terms. The first was Grover Cleveland, who held the presidency first as the 22nd president following the 1884 election and then again as the 24th president after the 1892 election.
Cleveland was serving as the governor of New York when he emerged as the Democratic Party’s candidate for the presidential election in 1884. His reputation was that of a dependable and steady leader, as noted by Daniel Klinghard, a political science professor at the College of the Holy Cross located in Worcester, Massachusetts.
His initial victory in the popular vote enabled him to secure enough Electoral College votes to take office as president. However, in the subsequent election four years later, although he again managed a slight lead in the popular vote, he lost to Republican candidate Benjamin Harrison in the Electoral vote tally. Despite this setback, Cleveland retained a positive standing with the public and successfully won both the popular and Electoral vote in 1892.
During his first term, Cleveland grappled with several pressing issues, notably advocating for a reduction in tariffs that had been established during the Civil War. He was a strong proponent of this policy, effectively linking it to the Democratic Party’s identity while garnering public backing, according to Klinghard.
Klinghard points out that Cleveland set a precedent for future presidents, such as Woodrow Wilson, by being a vocal champion for a policy that energized his party. This approach kept Cleveland prominent in the public consciousness even during the period between his presidencies.
“This marks a significant moment in the evolution of the modern idea of the national political party,” Klinghard stated. Cleveland had a team of capable political advisors and wealthy supporters who benefitted from free trade. These individuals worked diligently to ensure that Cleveland’s name remained well-known to voters, paralleling the strategies employed by Trump’s supporters, who also worked to downplay potential challenges and rivals in the political arena.
