- Biden debuted in the top third of U.S. presidents in the survey
- One of Biden’s achievements, according to experts, was getting Trump out of office
- Carter and Grant were among the most underrated presidents
Just in time for Presidents Day, a new survey of presidential experts named former President Donald Trump the worst president of all time, putting him behind even the presidents who served in the lead-up to the Great Depression and Civil War.
The 2024 Expert survey on the presidential greatness project was held from November 15 to December 15 by members and former members of the Presidents & Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association, the premier organization of social science experts in presidential politics.
Former President Trump came in last, a position he has held for the past six years.
President Joe Biden came in a surprising 14th place, putting him in the top third of US presidents, a ranking his campaign team was keen to tout on Monday as the president gears up for a likely election rematch with Trump this fall.
Biden’s higher ranking is partly due to his predecessor. One of the president’s most important achievements, according to experts, was getting Trump out of office.
Biden’s campaign praised the president’s debut at 14th, saying he wakes up every day “fighting for the American people.” The president came in just behind Madison, Clinton and Adams, but ahead of Wilson and Reagan
Trump was ranked as the worst president of all time by a survey of experts and was even at the bottom of the list among Republican and Conservative historians. He was also ranked as the most polarizing president of all time, with Andrew Jackson coming in second
The professors who conducted the study, Justin Vaughn and Brandon Rottinghaus, noted that Biden has “resumed a more traditional style of presidential leadership” when they announced the results. The Los Angeles Times.
Biden came in just behind James Madison, Bill Clinton and John Adams, but ahead of Ronald Reagan, who finished in 16th place.
President Abraham Lincoln was named the greatest president of all time, a ranking he has continued to adhere to as the greatest presidents have traditionally been seen as those who presided over the country during times of great transformation or national crises.
The survey of the greatest presidents was conducted from November 15 to December 15 by members and former members of the Presidents & Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association.
The group of experts compiles the list by ranking each president between one and one hundred. These numbers are then averaged to arrive at the rankings of greatness.
According to the expert survey, President Lincoln was ranked as the greatest president of all time.
Rounding out the ten greatest presidents were Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, Harry Truman, Barack Obama, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson and John F Kennedy.
The ten worst presidents were Trump, followed by James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, William Henry Harrison, Warren Harding, Millard Fillmore, Zachary Taylor, John Tyler and Herbert Hoover.
Even taking into account the parties and ideologies of the experts, Trump still ended up at the bottom. Republican pundits named him the 41st greatest president, while conservative pundits ranked him 43rd, behind Biden. Both Republicans and conservatives called George Washington the greatest president of all time.
Biden fared slightly better with Democrats and liberal pundits, who both ranked him as the 13th greatest president of all time. Democrats, liberals and independents all called Abraham Lincoln the greatest president of all time.
Amid growing divisions in the United States, respondents were also asked to name the most polarizing president of all time. Trump was by far considered the most polarizing president. President Andrew Jackson came in second.
One of the most “underrated” presidents was Jimmy Carter, who finished 22nd overall. Another president considered underrated was Civil War hero General Ulysses Grant, who served as president during Reconstruction from 1969 to 1877. He was ranked 17th.
William Henry Harrison was considered the most difficult president to appraise, as he was in office for only a month before he died.