[News Figures] Trump's Role Model in Inaugural Speech, 'Tariff King' McKinley

McKinley, 25th President of the United States
Led Protection of Domestic Industry Through High Tariffs
Annexed Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and More After the Spanish-American War
Assassinated After Reelection... Succeeded by Roosevelt

On the 20th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump announced in his inaugural speech that he would rename the highest peak in North America, Denali (6194m), back to "Mount McKinley." This means restoring the name to that of the 25th president, William McKinley. This mountain, the tallest in Alaska, was called McKinley for nearly 100 years before being renamed Denali in 2015 during the administration of former President Barack Obama. Denali means "the high one" or "the sacred one" in the language of the Alaska Native people.

On March 4, 1897, at the presidential inauguration held in Washington D.C., Chief Justice Melville Weston Fuller administered the oath of office to President-elect William McKinley. Former President Grover Cleveland stood behind them. Photo by AP Yonhap News

The name change is widely interpreted as President Trump's way of showing respect for former President McKinley. At the inauguration, Trump repeatedly hinted that McKinley was his role model. In his speech, Trump praised McKinley, saying, "President McKinley made America wealthy through tariffs and talent," and added, "He gave that money to (the 26th president) Teddy Roosevelt, enabling him to accomplish many things, including the Panama Canal."

William McKinley was the last U.S. president of the 19th century, serving from 1897 to 1901. Born in 1843 in Ohio, McKinley enlisted in the military at the young age of 18 when the American Civil War broke out in 1861. He started as a sergeant and was promoted to lieutenant before being discharged. After the war, he became a lawyer and began his legal career in Ohio. He entered politics as a Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, serving for 14 years. In 1891, he was elected governor of Ohio and was successfully re-elected before winning the presidency in 1896.

Trump appears to have been greatly inspired by McKinley’s tariff policies and territorial expansion. Known as the "Tariff King," McKinley imposed high tariffs of up to 50% (under the Dingley Tariff Act) during his administration to protect domestic industries. He raised the average tariff rate to 57%, the highest in U.S. history. This stimulated domestic economic growth and job creation, enhancing the competitiveness of American manufacturing. Under McKinley’s pro-business administration, U.S. companies grew at a very rapid pace.

On January 21, at the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington D.C., U.S. President Donald Trump (left) is speaking about artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Larry Ellison, Chief Technology Officer of Oracle (second from left), Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank (second from right), and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (right), are watching. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

President McKinley made the United States a world power through overseas territorial expansion. Notably, he expanded U.S. territory by winning the war against Spain in 1898. The U.S. annexed former Spanish colonies such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines (which later gained independence), and also acquired Hawaii. American influence expanded worldwide, and American imperialism grew accordingly.

McKinley was re-elected in 1900. However, in 1901, he was shot twice by an anarchist and died eight days later. After McKinley’s death, Vice President Roosevelt became the youngest president in U.S. history.