In a surprising twist, a new survey of leading historians and presidential experts has ranked current President Joe Biden as the 14th best US president, placing him well ahead of his predecessor Donald Trump, who was ranked the worst president in American history.
The Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey, conducted by professors Brandon Rottinghaus and Justin S. Vaughn, asked 154 historians and political scientists to rate the 45 US presidents on a scale of 0 to 100. Biden scored a respectable 73.8, putting him in the top third of presidents, while Trump languished at the very bottom with a dismal 10.92 rating.
Historians See Biden as Restoring Norms, Trump as "Terrible Leader"
The survey results highlight a stark contrast between how the academic community and the general public view the two presidents. Recent polls have shown Biden and Trump in a dead heat for the 2024 election, with voters seemingly divided on their performance.
But the historians tell a different story. They praised Biden for "rescuing the presidency from Trump" and "resuming a more traditional style of presidential leadership." In contrast, they lambasted Trump as the "worst president ever," even worse than the 19th century leaders who bungled the lead-up to the Civil War.
What this really means is that the expert assessment of presidential performance can differ greatly from the political winds of the moment. While Trump may still hold sway with a segment of the electorate, the scholarly community has rendered a damning verdict on his time in office.
The Bigger Picture: Polarization Shapes Views of Recent Presidents
The survey also highlighted the deep political polarization that colors perceptions of modern presidents. Democratic and Republican historians held starkly different views, with Democrats rating Biden and Obama highly and Republicans favoring Reagan and Trump.
But the experts were more united in their assessment of presidents from earlier eras, suggesting that time and distance allow for more objective evaluation. As the corrosive influence of partisanship on US politics continues, these survey results may offer a glimpse into how history will ultimately judge the controversial Trump era.