Stephen F. Knott has spent his life grappling with the legacy of President John F. Kennedy. Knott's scholarly work on the American presidency has wrestled with Kennedy's time in office and whether his presidency was ultimately a positive or negative one. After initially being a strong Kennedy fan, his views began to sour, eventually leading him to become a "Reagan Democrat." The Trump presidency led Knott to revisit JFK, leading him once more to reconsider his views.