New Fox Nation documentary explores Calvin Coolidge’s presidency
Filmmaker Amity Shlaes previews Fox Nation’s new documentary ‘Coolidge: Rediscovering an American President,’ which unpacks the presidency of ‘bridge to the founders.'
During the first two years of Joe Biden's presidency, the nation has grappled with crippling inflation, social unrest, and a growing divide between the political parties over the role of government.
One filmmaker argued the Biden presidency is "eerily similar" to the environment in which President Calvin Coolidge entered.
"It was very similar to today, almost eerily similar," Fox Nation filmmaker Amity Shlaes said on "Fox & Friends," discussing the Fox Nation special "Coolidge: Rediscovering an American President."
Shlaes outlined the three specific similarities between now and the 1920s.
"For example, we were coming out of a pandemic, influenza," she said. "Two, we had recession… or the prospect of recession. Three, we had hidden inflation. The government wasn't acknowledging to people that prices were up 40%. There was a sense of radicalism in the country and people were talking socialism and there it was. Income Harding first, then Coolidge for common sense America, what they called normalcy. They were elected with strong number of votes."
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Fox Nation's 'Coolidge: Rediscovering an American President' is available to stream now. (Fox Nation)
Coolidge, then the vice president, was sworn into office in 1923 after the death of President Warren G. Harding and won re-election in 1924. He was succeeded in 1929 by Republican Herbert Hoover.
Shlaes referred to Coolidge as the "bridge to the founders" for his understanding of America's fundamental principles and his dedication to fighting back against the rise in socialist thought in America and a trend toward increased government involvement.
"Coolidge said some astounding things which are true, but which we don't even dare say today. For example, he said personal rights and property rights are the same thing. He said,… the man who builds a factory, builds a temple. But he believed in work, hard work, and he believed also that people would advance in that situation," she said.
"He vetoed spending, including spending in areas such as disaster relief. He was an anti-crisis-spending because he said very often localities can take care of themselves or should. He was not inhumane, but he saw a restrained role for Washington."
Fox Nation's "Coolidge: Rediscovering an American President" dissects how one of America's presidents fought to preserve the nation's core beliefs and defend the founder's vision.
Also on Fox Nation, "American Presidents" – hosted by Brit Hume – explores the presidencies of leaders from George Washington to Donald Trump.
Similarly to Coolidge, President Ronald Reagan was also a proponent of limited government. He faced his own challenges, coming into power following an international crisis and economic recession, but believed more government was not a solution.
"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem," Reagan famously said.
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