LISTEN: Pres. Trump says Andrew Jackson was ‘really angry’ about the Civil War

Within days of moving into the White House, Pres. Donald Trump added the portrait of Pres. Andrew Jackson to the wall of the Oval Office near the iconic Resolute desk.

“My campaign and win was most like Andrew Jackson, with his campaign,” Trump explained to Salena Zito during their one-on-one interview in the Oval Office last week.

Trump also offered his take on how the seventh president might have influenced the Civil War — which began in 1861, nearly 16 years after Jackson died.

“I mean, had Andrew Jackson been a little later you wouldn’t have had the Civil War,” Trump said. “He was a very tough person, but he had a big heart. He was really angry that he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War, he said ‘There’s no reason for this.'”

Trump also told Zito that his decision to carry out airstrikes in Syria “legitimized Pres. Obama’s red line in the sand.”

“It was an important decision,” the president explained. “Not an easy decision to make. Because you know when you say ‘yes’ that means there’s death. And death is very tough. It’s very tough.”

Trump said it was the toughest decision he’s made during his time in office.

Hear Salena Zito’s full interview with Pres. Trump on “Main Street Meets the Beltway” on SiriusXM P.O.T.U.S. (Ch. 124) on demand: https://siriusxm.us/2pp1I22 

For a free 30-day trial, check out http://www.siriusxm.com/freetrial/blog

AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File