OPINION: US President Donald Trump has made his first public appearance since claims emerged that he asked the FBI to drop the investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn.

He was speaking at a graduation ceremony at a coastguard academy when he complained about how the media is treating him.

"No politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly," he said.

Well, I beg to differ. Here's a list of politicians treated a bit more unfairly than Mr Trump.

Barack Obama

Mr Trump encouraged the debunked conspiracy theory about Mr Obama's birthplace.

Abraham Lincoln

Because of Mr Lincoln's stance on slavery, many states left the union. Eventually he was shot by a man who disagreed with him.

John F Kennedy

JFK faced a lot of flak from the public and media because he was a Catholic. Like Mr Lincoln, Mr Kennedy was shot dead by a man who disagreed with his policies.

Nelson Mandela

As a young political activist, Mr Mandela was kept imprisoned and kept locked up for 27 years.

Aung San Suu Kyi

The Myanmar leader has faced a lot of trouble in her career, including being placed under house arrest for 15 years over a 21-year period.

Morgan Tsvangirai

Mr Tsvangirai is a political leader in Zimbabwe, opposing dictatorial President Robert Mugabe. He has been arrested and beaten multiple times, faced assassination attempts and been charged with treason.

Benazir Bhutto

Ms Bhutto was a centre-left Prime Minister of Pakistan in the 1980s and 1990s. She was banished from Pakistan for much of the 2000s by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. At the end of 2007 - after her return and a month before the parliamentary election - she was assassinated.

NZ politicians on Waitangi Day

Helen Clark, Don Brash and Steven Joyce are among the Government representatives who have been jostled, had mud thrown at them, or arguably treated unfairly on Waitangi Day. Mr Joyce famously had a sex toy thrown in his face in 2016, consequently gaining the attention of relentless comedian John Oliver. Many, however, would argue this is hardly unfair in comparison to the historic treatment of Māori by colonial powers.



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