Former President Donald Trump has proclaimed himself the “greatest” president in U.S. history, making this assertion in a social media post last week where he positioned himself above notable figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George Washington. However, historians and political experts offer a contrasting perspective.
Historically, few scholars have placed Trump in such an esteemed category. Unlike Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Washington—who are typically considered the nation’s top leaders—Trump has faced impeachment and legal challenges, including felony convictions related to hush-money payments to a former adult film actress.
While Trump has expressed confidence in his presidential performance, experts question whether his self-evaluation aligns with reality. “His ranking does not correspond with the results of the surveys we’ve conducted,” stated Justin Vaughn, a political science professor at Coastal Carolina University and co-creator of the Presidential Greatness Project, which surveys experts to evaluate U.S. presidents. “These findings also contradict other surveys conducted in recent years.”
In his post last Thursday, Trump categorized U.S. presidents into six tiers, with himself uniquely placed in the “greatest” category. The image he shared appears to have been derived from a 1948 article in Life magazine by historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., which discusses the criteria for presidential greatness. Notably, this image does not originally include a “greatest” category, and certain presidents, like Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, are absent, likely due to the publication date.
Additionally, the original categorization did not include Trump’s self-designation, while Joe Biden, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama were placed in the “failures” category. Surprisingly, Bill Clinton was rated as “average,” despite Trump’s frequent criticisms of him.
However, a recent survey from the Presidential Greatness Project, which involved 154 academics, yielded significantly different results. In this assessment, Trump ranked last among all presidents, even below James Buchanan, who is often criticized for his failure to prevent the Civil War. Academics were asked to rate each of the 45 presidents on a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 signifies a “failure” and 100 denotes “great.” Abraham Lincoln topped the list with an average score of 93.87, while Trump received a mere 10.92.
In a 2022 Siena University poll involving 141 presidential scholars, Trump fared slightly better, landing just third-from-last, ahead of Buchanan and Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln but opposed federal protections for the rights of formerly enslaved individuals.
The Siena poll also evaluated presidents across various criteria, such as “background,” “executive ability,” and “leadership.” In these categories, Trump ranked last in both “integrity” and “intelligence.”
Despite these unfavorable rankings, Trump has seemingly managed to garner consensus among scholars across the political spectrum. “We categorize our findings by the political affiliation of respondents, whether they identify as Democrats or Republicans,” Vaughn explained. “Even among Republican respondents, Trump is viewed poorly.”
Davis Ingle, a spokesperson for Trump, commented, “President Trump is dedicated to working tirelessly every day to create a strong, safe, and prosperous nation that we all deserve. His primary concern is ensuring America becomes greater than ever before. Ultimately, he will be remembered as the most successful and consequential president in modern American history.”
The accuracy of this prediction remains uncertain and will depend on future historical assessments of Trump’s presidency. Barbara Perry, a professor of presidential studies at the University of Virginia, noted that public perceptions of former presidents often improve over time, with their rankings fluctuating as their legacies are re-evaluated.
Trump’s self-classification also reveals the presidents he holds in high regard. His “greatest” category includes only himself, while Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Washington fall under “great.” The “near great” category features Theodore Roosevelt and Grover Cleveland, who also served non-consecutive terms.
However, both Vaughn and Perry expressed disagreement with Trump’s self-assessment. Perry remarked, “In the realm of scholarly opinion, there is no conceivable scenario in which Donald Trump would qualify for the ‘great,’ ‘greatest,’ or ‘near great’ categories.”
She further emphasized that Trump’s actions, including his role in the January 6 insurrection and the continued promotion of false claims regarding the 2020 election, undermine the principles of the American constitutional system and the rule of law. Perry added, “His demonstrated bias and racism against those who are not white Anglo-Saxon Protestants will also negatively impact his historical legacy.”
