Donald Trump recently declared himself the "greatest" US president ever, sharing his own rankings on Truth Social last week. In his post, he categorized past presidents into six groups, placing himself above notable figures like Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George Washington. However, historians and political experts have a different perspective.
Historical Context
Few presidential historians support Trump's self-assessment. Unlike Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Washington—who are often regarded as America's best—Trump's presidency has been marred by significant controversies, including an insurrection, impeachment, and felony convictions related to hush-money payments.
Justin Vaughn, a political science professor at Coastal Carolina University, and co-creator of the Presidential Greatness Project, stated,
“"It’s not consistent with the findings of the surveys we’ve conducted. It’s also not consistent with other surveys that have been conducted over the last several years."
Trump's Rankings
In his post, Trump placed himself in the "greatest" category, a classification that did not exist in the original image he adapted from a 1948 Life magazine article by historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.. This original article did not include a "greatest" category, and the rankings were modified to include Joe Biden, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama in the "failures" category. Surprisingly, Bill Clinton was rated as "average" despite Trump's frequent criticisms of him.
