Every American president strives for a positive legacy, but not all succeed. The Watergate scandal marred Richard Nixon's legacy, forcing him to resign after the Senate threatened to impeach him.
Jimmy Carter normalized diplomatic relations with China, but headwinds dogged his presidency. He cemented his legacy after he left office by building houses for low-income families and promoting human rights globally.
Ronald Reagan is remembered for winning the Cold War against the Soviet Union. George W Bush's legacy is starting two unpopular wars with Afghanistan and Iraq after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Barack Obama made history by becoming the first Black president. He is still popular almost 10 years after leaving office. Donald Trump is on course to become one of the most unpopular US presidents in modern history.
His approval rating is stuck at around 30 percent after starting the Iran war, causing high gas and food prices. Mindful that he will leave behind a painfully tainted legacy, Trump is racing against time to make sure he is not forgotten.
Instead of trying to win back popular support, he is using his remaining two years plastering his name all over Washington DC, convinced this alone will make people remember him long after he is gone.
Trump has always been obsessed with naming buildings after him. There are about a dozen properties named after Trump, including in the US, India, and the Philippines. His name is licensed out in some cases instead of him owning the property.
He is using his second term to reshape Washington. The US Institute of Peace is now called the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace. He illegally added his name to the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Courts ordered him to remove his name. Trump is now threatening to close the center.
He has put his name or large pictures of himself on several government buildings. His image is on a limited edition of US passports and US$1 (HK$7.80) coins. It is certain the next Democratic president will remove his name wherever possible.
That is why Trump is rushing to build his US$600 million White House ballroom before his term ends to make sure the project is too large and costly to be demolished. But can his vanity projects preserve his legacy? Or will Americans look at them with disgust and remember him for making life unaffordable for so many?
Michael Chugani is a longtime journalist who has worked in Hong Kong, the US, and London
