SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Abraham Lincoln, the nation’s 16th president, is not on the ballot this fall. But Donald Trump, the 45th president who’s running to be the 47th, keeps mentioning his name. Trump has routinely put himself on par with Lincoln. At least once he’s said he’s done more for Black Americans than anyone since Lincoln. Lately, he’s questioned why Lincoln didn’t settle sectional differences before the Civil War started. Presidential historian Justin Vaughn says it’s natural for someone like Trump, who is conscious of his legacy, to associate himself with Lincoln, often considered the nation’s greatest president. Harold Holzer, a Lincoln biographer, says politicians often try to associate with Lincoln but rarely compare themselves to the Great Emancipator.
