Worst President? Historians continue to Debate in 2021 After Trump Presidency Ended.

First published in September 2010 in Suite101. Since then America has seen two presidents, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. After Trump's defeat in 2020, historians have revised their differing lists, including Trump at the bottom end of the rankings.

 In his book, The Unexpected President: The Life And Times of Chester A. Arthur, Scott S. Greenberger states, "Arthur became president 136 years ago, but the era Mark Twain dubbed the "Gilded Age" doesn't feel distant at a time when political corruption, economic inequality, and corporate malfeasance are once again shaking people's faith in the American experiment." (Del Capo Press, 2017) Historian Page Smith referred to Arthur as a "reformed crook" while Thomas Wolfe called Arthur one of the "Four Lost Men."

M.Streich, author of this article

On August 11, 2010 the Huffington Post included an item on Ben Quayle, an Arizona Republican campaigning for Congress, in which the former Vice President’s son said that “Barack Obama is the worst president in history.” On July 1, 2010, the Guardian reported on academic polls that concluded George W. Bush was “the worst president ever.” But what constitutes being the worst or even being on a list of worst U.S. presidents? Is it too early to pass judgment on Bush or Obama – who has only been in office for 19 months?

 

Top Ten Lists Change as Political and Social Imperatives Change

 

Due to the scandalous nature of Ulysses Grant’s two terms following the American Civil War, scholars have always included the man on the “worst” list, even though he was probably considered the penultimate war hero and general of the 19^th Century. By the time Grant moved into the White House, Congress, led by fiery and egocentric men like Ben Wade and Thaddeus Stevens, had fully taken control of Reconstruction policies. If Grant was a bad president, it was because he was a puppet of the real powers affecting national policies.

 

The same can be said of Herbert Hoover, forever tarnished as the man who opened the door to the Great Depression by his failure to aggressively pursue federal action. By today’s standards, however, Republicans angry with government spending, bail-outs, and stimulus funds would find in Hoover a kindred spirit. Hoover’s view of the federal government is much like the contemporary Tea Party agenda.

 

Perennial Worst List Favorite Sons

 

James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson top the list of all-time worst presidents, and with good reason. One served before Lincoln – usually considered the greatest president, the other served after Lincoln. Buchanan watched the Civil War break out and did nothing to stop it. Some have compared him to Nero, fiddling while Rome was burning.

 

Andrew Johnson threw away a golden opportunity to build upon Lincoln’s Reconstruction policies, setting himself apart from Congress and vetoing legislation designed to alleviate problems in the post-war South. Like Franklin Pearce and Grant, Johnson was a drinker.

 

Late 19^th Century Presidents Make the Worst List

 

Presidents Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur often fill the worst list. Cleveland, according to historian Page Smith, was “a cut above.” It should be remembered, however, that these men entered the White House at a time Congress was very powerful, especially the Senate. Having controlled Grant, Republican stalwarts manipulated the 1876 election in favor of Hayes, who was forever beholden to them.

 

The proverbial die was cast as Congress, notably powerful Republicans tied to Gilded Age business lobbies preserved their power at the expense of the executive branch. Not until the second term of the Teddy Roosevelt presidency was this power broken, only because “TR” had an iron personality and a will to effect important changes.

 

Worst Presidents Judged by Decisions Affecting the Future

 

Lyndon B. Johnson is considered a successful and perhaps great president because of his social programs like Medicare and Affirmative Action. Others, however, vilify him for his social policies and accuse him of escalating the Vietnam War. His initiatives are seen as “New Deal Phase Two” by fiscal conservatives fearful of creeping socialism.

 

Even in the 21^st Century, there are aging “Nixon haters” who equate him with obstruction of justice, covering up Watergate, and secretly extending the Vietnam War into Cambodia and Laos. But Nixon defenders point to his China policy, certainly a long-term effect on U.S. commercial interests and the American ability to purchase cheap goods at “box” stores like Wal-Mart.   

 

Most every president has positive and negative achievements. Eisenhower has practically no record of domestic legislation excepting the interstate highways measure. John F. Kennedy escalated the arms race and did little to further Civil Rights. The fact is that “Great” and “Worst” are subjective terms, each conforming to political agendas set by those making the selections.

 

Assessing Contemporary Presidents

 

In the case of contemporary presidents, the judgment of history may be many generations in the future. In 1836, Andrew Jackson may have been considered the worst president since the birth of the Republic by his detractors, yet history today deems him to be great; Jacksonian democracy represents a phrase alluding to greater political participation in America. Historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. compared him to Franklin Roosevelt in his biography of Jackson.

 

Ben Quayle may be in a rocking chair on his Arizona front porch before historians fully assess the impact of the Obama presidency, even though 21^st Century technology, notably the internet, is making information more available. And that includes Ben’s father, who as Vice President under George H.W. Bush, was a master at gaffes.

 

William A. DeGregorio, The Complete Books of U.S. Presidents (Gramercy Books, 2001)

Page Smith, The Nation Comes of Age: A people’s History of the Ante-Bellum Years, Volume Four (McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1981)

Page Smith, The Rise of Industrial America: A People’s History of the Post-Reconstruction Era, Volume Six (Penguin Books, 1984)

[Copyright of this article is owned by Michael Streich. Reprints of any kind and in any format require written permission and attribution]