Trump ranks last

Current US President Donald Trump has been ranked the worst president in the 2018 Presidents and Executive Politics Presidential Greatness Survey. The survey was based on responses by presidential experts that included current and former members of the American Political Science Association's presidents and executive politics section.

Background

Since the office was established in 1789, 44 men have served as president. The first person to serve as the American president was George Washington. There have been many prominent American presidents over the years. Abraham Lincoln has been credited for ending slavery in America after the Civil War. Woodrow Wilson helped in the creation of League of Nations and Harry Truman played a crucial role during World War II. Thomas Jefferson is best known as the author of the Declaration of Freedom. Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John F Kennedy are among other US presidents who are other prominent US Presidents. There have also been unpopular presidents over the decades including Richard Nixon, George W Bush. James Buchanan is often considered one of the worst US presidents for his perceived lack of leadership in the years leading to the Civil War.

US President Donald Trump is a polarizing figure in world politics. He has found himself being criticized for his actions and his statements in the past. He has been accused of sexism, misogyny, racism and more. Business leaders like Elon Musk have left councils within the administration due to statements made by Trump. The President has also been criticized by Republicans for failing to forcefully condemn racism in the wake of the alt-right rally that took place in Charlottesville in August 2017. Most recently, top athletes like LeBron James have condemned him. He also initiated a travel ban that barred visitors from largely Muslim nations from travelling to the US. Senator Jack Reed (Democrat) was caught in a microphone speaking to his colleague Senator Susan Collins in July stating, “I think he’s crazy.” Collins responded simply by noting, “I’m worried.”

Analysis

The 2018 Presidents and Executive Politics Presidential Greatness Survey was published on February 2018. The survey was based on responses by 170 presidential historians who ranked all presidents in US history including contemporary ones. US President Donald Trump was ranked dead last in the survey.

The survey was conducted by University of Houston professor Brandon Rottinghaus and Boise State University professor Justin S. Vaughn. For the first time ever, President Trump knocked former President Buchanan from the last place. The experts were asked to grade all US presidents on a scale of 0-100. Zero would mean complete failure and 50 would be average. At least 57% of the respondents were Democrats, 13% were Republicans and 27% of them were Independents. According to this survey, the top five greatest US presidents were: Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson. Harry S. Truman and Dwight Eisenhower were in the top 10. Even among those who came from the same political party, Trump ranked low. Among Republican experts, he was ranked 40th out of 44. Former President Barack Obama was ranked 8th and Bill Clinton was ranked 13th (his ranking slipped from 2014 when he was ranked 8th). George W Bush who was previously ranked 35th enjoyed an upsurge and was ranked 30th.

Assessment

Our assessment is that even though Trump’s tenure comes during a period when America is enjoying economic expansion and low unemployment rate, he still has extremely low favorable ratings among the general public. This is largely due to the multiple scandals that surround him. His has been caught on camera making lewd remarks towards women and has been accused of racism and bigotry. More recently, he came under fire not only in America but across the world for calling African nations “shitholes.” Despite enjoying the support of his core base, the larger public across the world have to come regard him as a joke.