As we prepare to head into the final year of Trump's term in office, the historians are already chiming in on where he stands in the ranking of Presidents. I like historians. They're pretty brass tacks about things. They don't put personal feelings ahead of reality, just focus on what exactly happened.
That being said, it's hard to take a president from today and gauge their term against a guy who was in office 200 years ago. For most people, any president who helped preserve slavery in the US would fall into the bad category, but historians don't look at it so linearly. While they don't condone deplorable behavior, they can put it into context for the time. It doesn't justify horrible actions, or heal old wounds, but it allows the ranking of individual records over a long period of time to be judged without a centuries adjusted prism. I think we all can agree; when comparing them to a modern standard, all presidents from 1 to 15 were pretty horrible for tolerating slavery, with Andrew Jackson rotting in Hell for his additional torment of Native Americans with the Trail of Tears.
Already historians are putting Trump towards the bottom of the list. Even though there have been 45 Presidents, Grover Cleveland served as both the 22nd and 24th President, hence we only have 44 individual Presidents to be ranked. So far, on rankings which have included him, Trump has scored a 44 and a 42. It doesn't bode well for his future rankings. For the record, President Obama ranks around 13/14.
Is Trump the worst President of all time? Let's compare him, his actions, and his policies to the rest of the worst Presidents of all time to get a better idea. (Animation from Chris Timmons. Instagram: @mistertimmons.
http://www.chris-timmons.com)
Zachary Taylor - Both Taylor and Trump never served in politics before taking the White House, although Taylor had a long military career (part of which was served at Fort Snelling...with his slaves [yikes]). Taylor did not like Polk, but it's nothing compared to Trump's hatred of President Obama. Taylor was aloof from his cabinet and congress, which led to little getting done during his term, also similar to Trump. And there was a scandal where Taylor's Secretary of War was trying to pay back a land seizure, known as the Galphin Affair. Not only was it pure croneyism, but the Secretary (Crawford) gave himself a large cut of the money. This actually seems quaint when you look at the amount of tax payer money Trump has directed towards his hotel properties. They shared another trait, risqué diet. Taylor actually died from eating "a copious amount" of raw fruit with milk; a dangerous meal in the age before refrigeration. Then again. It was fruit, compared to KFC boy.
Worst - Trump
Hebert Hoover - To Hoover's defense, he was handed an economy which on the verge of irreparable collapse. When the music stopped, he was the Republican without a chair. But Hoover's problem was his personal and political agenda failed to allow him to see how bad the Great Depression really was. Everything Hoover tried to fix the economy made it worse. Once again, Trump seems to outdo his predecessor. His Trump Tax Cut, one of the few things he actually has achieved, not only did not spur growth, it's made the Federal Deficit FAR worse and has set up what many experts are forecasting; an unavoidable massive economic downturn. And Trump ACTUALLY ASKED if we could nuke a hurricane. Hoover wasn't the brightest bulb, but I highly doubt he would've entertained nuking the Dust Bowl (yes I'm aware the Dust Bowl didn't happen until 1934, but still...).
Worst - Trump
John Tyler - Tyler has the unique position of being the first President to attain the office due to the death of his predecessor, Harrison. He was a real odd ball. He was the Whig Party's VP, but he was a former Democrat and when he ascended into office, he immediately abandoned the Whig Party veil. His own party tried to impeach him, the first time in history that was tried, but it failed. Trump's very similar to Tyler on this front. He really wasn't a Republican, but he saw the GOP ticket could be attained through brash, false bravado masquerading as patriotism and Christianity. Since he took office, there have been attempts to reign him to a more mainstream Republican policy, but he has purged most the the traditional Republicans from his cabinet and inner circle and is only about himself now. That being said, the Republicans seem to love him more for it. Definitely the second worst office holder in regards to the treatment of his own party, but Trump still comes up short when compared to Tyler.
Worst - Tyler
Millard Fillmore and Franklin Pierce - I'm including these two gems together because their major fault is the same. By the time Zachary Taylor (Fillmore's predecessor) took office, it was clear the issue of slavery was not going to go away easily. Fillmore took over after Taylor's death and was grossly unqualified to deal with such a big problem, likewise for his successor Pierce. Their attempted milquetoast solutions to slavery (Fugitive Slave Act for Fillmore and the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act for Pierce) actually made the divide over slavery worse, with many people insisting the Civil War started well before Fort Sumter, in Kansas, with pro and anti slavery forces fighting it out in the streets. Neither had the moral fortitude or intelligence to do the right thing.
Nothing facing Trump right now is as morally repugnant as slavery, but the pressing issues which require leadership are not only not being addressed by Trump, advancements we've made are being reversed out of spite. Nothing highlights that better than climate change, something which is undeniable. Trump has decided to try to kill all clean energy projects, is backing the 1880's fuel of coal, and has even reversed florescent light bulb standards, just because he can! This would be as if Fillmore and Pierce said "not only are we going to keep slavery, we are going to take us back to the time when we were importing the most slaves." When you factor all the issues Trump has dug his ignorant heels in on (immigration, pollution, Iran) he's FAR more soulless and ignorant than either of the aforementioned. For God's sake he just spent a week trying to make a weather forecast bend to his will.
Worst - Trump
George W. Bush - It's clear W. was a simpleton being manipulated by his Vice President and his lackeys, but it was still his watch. As horrific as W.'s foreign policy was, it seems to be getting outdone by Trump. This is not to make light of the Iraq War, a war fought under false pretenses which lead to thousands of dead, and tens of thousands of injured American troops. The W. White House took the unity from 9/11 and abused it, forcing the US into a war in an attempt to get Iraq's oil for the wealthy American oilmen who bankrolled the W. Administration. Where Trump hasn't done anything as specifically bad as that war, he's done far more. Locking people in cages in concentration camps on our border, blowing up the world's trade markets, turning his back on traditional US allies while embracing international dictators who wine and dine Trump. The foreign policy the next President will inherit will be in shambles. Plus not only has Trump virtually endorsed the Khashoggi murder ordered by a corrupt and truly evil Saudi prince, and not only is Trump having an embarrassing love affair with North Korean despot Kim-Jong un (a man guilty of genocide!), he's likely sharing state secrets with Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader who helped (with the hearty endorsement and eager encouragement of Trump's campaign) him win in 2016.
Worst - HANDS DOWN Trump
Ulysses S. Grant - Grant while being an outstanding military commander was an atrocious President, but his failures were tied to external issues; rumors, his cabinet appointments and the time period he served during. He was never able to shake the rumors he was a drunk while commanding the Union forces, a rumor which continued throughout his Presidency. It's not really documented how regular of a drinker Grant was while in office, but he undoubtedly did indulge at times. Trump doesn't drink, but in my opinion his dietary extremes are worse for his health.
Grant oversaw the Presidency as the South was being rebuilt. This meant there were a lot of opportunities for people to pocket a lot of tax payer money. Grant's cabinet was chock full of untrustworthy fools, especially in his second term where there seemed to be no end to the scandals encompassing his office. No charges ended up on him directly, but his cabinet's incompetence lead to a complete lack of trust in the US Government. Check and Mate for Trump. The sheer magnitude of unqualified buffoons Trump has placed around him, many of whom have already been caught grifting off the taxpayers, is truly astounding. When Rick Perry is your steadiest rock, SWEET JESUS! And just like in the 1870's, faith in our current government is at an all time low.
And the dirty election tricks the Grant Administration engineered to get Rutherford B Hayes as his successor have been outdone by Trump, the Republicans and the Russians.
Worst - Trump
William Henry Harrison - Harrison died in office, 31 days into his term. I'm torn at including Harrison on the worst list as his downfall was unfortunate, not incompetent. But when gauging Presidents, you have to look at his record, and there's very little record for Harrison. There's one element which you can compare. Harrison through his short term beat back demands from his fellow Whig Party members to fire all Democrats in appointed positions throughout government and hire Whigs to replace them. Harrison stood firm that he would not take such action, even butting heads with the powerful Whig legislator Henry Clay. Clay would later be stymied in his attempt to take control of the government when Harrison's replacement Tyler basically abandoned the party. We all know Trump would reward anyone who praised him, so on this one issue, Harrison out-shined Trump. Considering the insane amount of current open government positions with no applicants, it's clear no one wants to work for Trump. That would also be an advantage for Harrison. But in the end, 31 days is only 31 days.
Worst - Harrison
This brings us to the three worst presidents prior to Trump.
Warren G. Harding - Harding had an insanely corrupt Administration. Not only did you have Administration scandals where his Attorney General took bribes in the bidding process to run the American Metal Company, AND the AG likely taking bribes to help alcohol bootleggers, AND the Teapot Dome Scandal, where the Secretary of the Interior took bribes to sell off the Navy's oil reserves, and then frantically tried to cover it up, before being the first ever Cabinet official to be convicted and sent to jail for crimes he committed while in office, but it gets even worse! The Director of the Veteran's Bureau Charles Forbes, working with his buddies, inflated the cost of building new veteran's hospitals across the country, then pocketed the cash! HE THEN bought land on behalf of the country, land that he quoted as WAY over the asking price and pocketed the money over the sale price. HE THEN got caught selling off the surplus medical supplies from WWI and pocketing most of that money. The corruption friendly Harding was so bothered by Forbes brazen corruption he demanded his resignation, and Forbes fled to Europe.
Harding also was having multiple affairs, and led an Administration where sex out of marriage was commonplace. All of this happened in 2 and a half years (!), before he died in office. Most of his scandals came to light afterwards.
When comparing Trump to all this, the first thing which comes to mind is that we already know Trump is VERY guilty of grifting off the government. Just the demands he puts in place for the Secret Service to pay for rooms and golf carts at his Mar-A-Lago resort are outrageous. You have Trump demanding multiple 'conflict of interest' entities stay at his hotels worldwide, including his Administration, Republican Party members, the military and international leaders. He just had VP Pence stay ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IRELAND from Dublin just so they would use his hotel. You have his residential properties being purchased by foreign powers trying to get an "in" with the Administration. His kids seem to have been able to get patents on Chinese goods which seem to have been negotiated in secret. And he's already had numerous Administration officials resign in disgrace after using their office's budgets to spend lavishly. He worked with Russia to steal the 2016 election. And we know all of this PRIOR to his leaving office. The scandals we don't know about will shake this country to the core.
As far as women, Trump ordered his lawyer to pay off a porn star he'd had an affair with, using campaign cash, in a successful effort to cover up the affair before the 2016 election. Does anyone think the Sunkist horndog hasn't been sleeping with others while in office? It will all come to light eventually.
Worst - Undoubtedly Trump
Andrew Johnson - On Washington's Birthday in 1866, people had marched to the White House to hear Johnson speak about the country's first President. Besides attacking major members of Lincoln's Republican Party (Johnson was a pro-war Democrat, and his appearing on the ticket was a specific decision by Lincoln to pick a friendly VP from another party for his 2nd term, an attempt to show unity) Johnson mentioned his own name 200 times, an undeniable similarity to a man (Trump) who makes every speaking event about himself. Johnson was in way over his head. He wasn't on board for complete freedom for slaves, opposed the 14th amendment, and pretty much killed his entire presidency when he vetoed the Civil Rights Bill, leading to the first ever veto override of a major American bill.
Johnson was trying to recreate the south in his own image, and was desperate to slow the process of reconstruction until he could put his own people in place. The Congress wasn't about to let him do so. The conflict created by Johnson is a divide we still see in America today; Racists and bigots feeling Washington DC is trying to force a pro African American/immigrant agenda on the poor innocent whites. Johnson was the beginning of this mess. He poisoned his relationship with Congress so badly not only did they impeach him, they also removed a Supreme Court seat to prevent him from being able to appoint a Justice. He was loved by Southern whites and pretty much no one else.
Trump's record towards minorities is pretty much on par with Johnson. We have people, including young children, locked in cages, in concentration camps at the border because of the color of their skin. We have a rogue militarized law enforcement group randomly rounding up all non-caucasian individuals they can find. Trump openly discriminates against people due to race and religion. He's proudly turning away people who are seeking asylum, some of whom have already been in the US for years. The difference between Johnson and Trump is simple. Republicans in Congress in the 1860's were more tolerant and enlightened in race relations than the current Republicans in office today! That's crazy! Not only would Trump have been long thrown out of office if not for a handful of Republican Senators, he'd likely be in jail by now at any other time in US history! Trump's scar across this country will haunt the US for centuries, as most of the world no longer looks at the US as the shining city on the hill.
Worst - Trump
James Buchanan - A lot of people go back and forth at who was the worst, Johnson or Buchanan. For me, it was Buchanan, because although he knew every (pro-slavery) decision he made in regards to slavery would cause massive ripples throughout the country, he still made them in a futile attempt to put the issue behind him. His plan was simple; appease the slave owners with a pro-slavery cabinet and pushing pro slavery rules, and hope the rest of the country just accepted it. It was the most ambivalent and fool hearted attempt at leadership this country has ever seen. He tried to act as if the slavery issue was settled as Kansas was being ripped apart by all out war between the pro and anti slavery elements.
Two days into his term, the Dred Scott decision was handed down from the Supreme Court. The decision, THE WORST IN THE HISTORY OF THE SUPREME COURT(!!!), basically annulled all previous free state rules and made slavery legal everywhere. It also made African Americans, including freeman and freed slaves, all subservient to whites. Buchanan had worked behind the scenes trying to make the Dred Scott case as much of an unanimous decision as possible, thinking the anti-slavery north would accept the ruling. Instead it unified the north and created the need for a Civil War to undo the damage done by Buchanan and the Supreme Court.
Buchanan's term ended with two separate entities, the country of the United States and the traitorous Confederate states. The southern states started seceding in the days after Lincoln's victory, during Buchanan's term. Buchanan did nothing to stop these states from leaving. When Fort Sumter was being blockaded, Buchanan did very little to get supplies to his own Army on the island. After the Fort was attacked, Buchanan strongly stated he was always on the Union's side, but that was contradicted by the majority of his decisions he made throughout his Presidency. It was FAR too little and WAY too late.
So far Trump hasn't created two countries, but he has undeniably fueled the flames of racism and bigotry. He's made the racist fractures which appeared under President Obama far wider by validating hate as something misunderstood and noble. If we don't remove him from office, the country might need a second Civil War to stop the cockroach minority of vocal racists. Much like Buchanan, Trump purposely doesn't see the damage of his actions, only the 'happy result' he's convinced he made come true. Look at his trade policy for proof of that. He screwed up the US's trade, probably permanently, and has no plan in place to fix it, outside of shouting into the air. It's hard to say who's worse, but if time plays out like I think it will, I'm comfortable making the call.
Worst - Tie
There you have it! Comparing Trump to the worst Presidents in history, pound for pound he's the bottom of the barrel!!! Sure we can debate individual traits, where another individual President might be slightly worse, but when you look at the sheer magnitude of faults, Trump is your clear cut WORST PRESIDENT OF ALL TIME!
BUT OF COURSE HE WAS GOING TO BE! When I stayed awake all night on election night 2016 staring at the ceiling, it wasn't because the Righto's owned the Libs. It was because a man who was clearly unqualified to be a night manager at a Waffle House was soon going to be to primary decision maker for the entire country. This is a man who stared at the sun REPEATEDLY during a solar eclipse. The blame for this rides squarely on the shoulders of every delusional, DEPLORABLE, fool who voted for him. No, Hillary wasn't worse. She would have been far more competent at leading this country.
But today, after the people who tried to warn the country about Trump were proven to be correct, blame for this train wreck now rests on the shoulders of the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Republican Senators who enable this inexcusable behavior. They're to blame for this. They've sacrificed this country for political advancement and personal financial gain. This was what the founding fathers never anticipated; a leader who goes to the bathroom in the middle of the floor, proudly points at it, screams "Look what I did," and calls it 'presidential,' AND this inexcusable behavior being encouraged by a 'political party over country' Republican Senate, so consumed with maintaining power they purposely don't see the irreparable damage being done to the foundations of our Democracy.
May God help us all if Democratic voters sit out 2020...
