Scott Detrow

Ultimately, Lincoln wonders whether the war was a sort of divine punishment for the sin of slavery.

Maybe God willed that it continue until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword.

161 years later, another president delivered another speech about another war.

More than a month into the war in Iran, President Trump finally spoke to the nation about it.

Consider this, Trump has always spoken differently than the presidents who came before him.

But what does that mean when there's a war going on?

From NPR, I'm Scott Detrow.

It's Consider This from NPR.

American presidents have tended to choose their words carefully in times of war.

Words they use to unify the country, explain their strategy, and often make a moral case for war.

When it comes to speeches, President Trump has never claimed to be Lincoln or Franklin Roosevelt.

Here he is this week previewing his primetime address to the nation.

What a phenomenal job I've done.

We wanted to take a closer look at how Trump's wartime communication fits into the history of the presidency and why that matters.

And for that, I caught up with Barbara Perry.

She is the co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia's Miller Center.

You know, we could start a lot of different places, but one thing that stood out to me is just that he really kind of appears to be reveling in the destruction and the violence brought by military action.

You can hear that in this speech just from the other day.

I mean, Barbara, how does that compare to other presidents in recent history?

What are the through lines about how other presidents have thought about what to communicate and how often to communicate when it comes to war?