February 19, 2018

Donald Trump Is America’s Worst, 2nd Worst, or 5th Worst President

Today is Presidents/President’s/Presidents’ Day, and the New York Times is celebrating with a bit of clickbait that ranks all 44 presidents.¹ It turns out that presidential scholars of the left outrageously rank Donald Trump as our worst president after only a year in office, which means we have to turn to right-leaning scholars to get a more considered view of things:²

Number 40! Now that’s more like it. Trump is better than the guy who sleepwalked into the Civil War and the general who died after only 40 days. But he’s still worse than the Teapot Dome guy and the guy who inspired the Mallard Fillmore comic strip. Sad.

¹In presidential numbering, Grover Cleveland counts twice since he had two separate terms, so we’ve had 45 presidents. In presidential rankings, Cleveland is just one person, so we’ve had 44 presidents. Got it?

²It’s worth noting that presidential scholars, just like us common folks, seem to have a bias for the present. Six out of 14 postwar presidents make their top 10.

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In this month’s Summer Membership Drive, we’ve got to raise $200,000 to support more crucial investigations. This is a pivotal moment in our nation, with democracy on the line, and we can only do this work because readers like you step up. Every donation, of any amount, makes a difference here. We cannot do this work without you.

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