Besides their comeback connection, Cleveland and Trump are about as different from each other as any two presidents. Trump was born into New York wealth; Cleveland was a minister’s son who helped provide for his family after his father’s early death. He was a hard worker and, at times, a hard drinker; Trump abstains from both long hours and alcohol.
Both Cleveland and Trump campaigned as anti-corruption populists, but Cleveland followed through on his commitment to clean government. (His dedication was literal at times: As mayor of Buffalo, New York, he helped construct a modern sewer system for the foul-smelling city.) A Democratic reformer, Cleveland fought Tammany Hall as governor of New York. After he won the presidency in 1884, he insisted on paying his own train fare to Washington, according to a 2022 biography by Troy Senik. He once refused to accept a dog that a supporter sent him as a gift, deeming it inappropriate.
As president, Cleveland developed such a reputation for public integrity that he earned the nickname “Grover the Good.” He curbed the spoils and patronage system that pervaded politics at the time—and that Trump has begun to re-create.
Whereas Trump has repeatedly stretched the bounds of presidential power, Cleveland respected them. He interpreted the president’s constitutional responsibilities narrowly and did not try to whip votes for his agenda in Congress. But within his authority, Cleveland acted aggressively: He vetoed 414 bills during his first term, more than all 21 of his predecessors combined.
Few of the political controversies that Cleveland confronted as president are relevant anymore; the pensions of Civil War veterans and the gold standard were major flashpoints in the late 19th century. But one major fiscal debate has lingered—tariffs—and he and Trump took opposite sides. Cleveland pushed for lower tariffs even though they were popular, a stance that likely cost him his first attempt at winning a second term.
Despite his reputation for good governance, President Cleveland had significant flaws, including ones that much of his 19th-century electorate would have overlooked. He opposed women’s suffrage, and he made virtually no effort to protect Black people in the South from the terror and disenfranchisement of Jim Crow.