Donald Trump is not the worst American president according to historians
Each change of administration since the year 2000 is an opportunity for the political channel C-SPAN to establish a ranking of presidents in the history of the United States.
At each change of administration since 2000, the political channel C-SPAN interviews a panel of historians and observers of American political life in order to establish a ranking of presidents.
For the 2021 edition, more than 140 experts were invited to rate these in different categories of leadership: public persuasion, crisis management, economic management, moral authority, international relations, relations with Congress, equal justice for all, performance in the context of the time, etc.
RESULTS: C-SPAN's 2021 Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership:
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 30, 2021
Top 10 Presidents
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Donald Trump joins this list for the first time. Although not last, the 45th tenant of the White House should not be satisfied with the rank assigned to him.
The ten best presidents
As with previous rankings, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Franklin Delano Roosevelt occupy the top three spots.
It is indeed difficult to compete with presidents who have marked the history of the United States and the world. Behind them are Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhover, Harry Truman, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. Barack Obama completes this top 10 and appears for the first time so high in the ranking. Twelfth in the previous edition, the first African-American president is now ahead of Lyndon Johnson and Woodrow Wilson.
RESULTS: C-SPAN's 2021 Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership:
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 30, 2021
Top 10 Presidents
https://t.co/51PjAwPliK #cspanPOTUSsurvey pic.twitter.com/WR660IvM0j
C-SPAN may point out that this survey is not a scientific study, American political enthusiasts have already begun to debate the results of this 2021 edition. If, overall, the ranking is rather coherent, it is possible to question the place of certain presidents. John F. Kennedy, ranked 8th, was only able to govern for two years and ten months before being assassinated in Dallas in 1963. He monopolized the top 10 for the fourth consecutive time, although his political action was limited. The myth that surrounds it sometimes seems to take precedence over the objectivity of specialists.
C-SPAN's 2021 Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 30, 2021
Number 9: Ronald Reagan https://t.co/51PjAwPliK #cspanPOTUSsurvey pic.twitter.com/KnuVunS5fY
Conversely, Lyndon Johnson, his successor, is in 11th position even though he helped advance civil rights and enabled the establishment of the major Medicare / Medicaid social programs. If his very poor management of the Vietnam War tainted his years in the White House, his two terms will have profoundly transformed the United States. Finally, it is possible to wonder about the 10th place awarded to Barack Obama, who ultimately failed to materialize the Yes We Can. Would he be so high in the rankings if Donald Trump hadn't become president?
Donald Trump is (almost) hitting rock bottom
Donald Trump's position in this ranking was highly anticipated. The analysis of his record must have proved complex as the character split and unleashed passions between 2016 and 2020. By ranking him 41st out of 44, experts judged that his presidency was one of the worst in the world. history of the United States. Trump, who has faced two impeachment trials in four years, is ranked dead last in "moral authority" and "administrative skill".
Its highest scores are in the “public persuasion” (32nd) and “economic management” (34th) categories. The former president, who never misses an opportunity to attack people who criticize his work, has remained silent until now. A surprising lack of reaction for the one who has several times claimed to be the “best president in history”.
Trump's position in the ranking could change, especially if he succeeds in his bet to return to the White House in 2024.
His position in the ranking could still change in future editions, especially if he succeeds in his bet to return to the White House in 2024. Also, it is not excluded that opinions and perceptions evolve with time. In 2000, Bill Clinton was ranked 21st, today he is 19th. Ditto for George W. Bush who went from 36th place to 29th in two decades. Donald Trump and his supporters can therefore keep hope. The ascent still looks complicated. Even William Henry Harrison, who died just a month after taking office, is better positioned (40th).
