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Politics

Trump ranks himself as greatest US president, contrasting with academic surveys

A social media post placing Donald Trump above all past leaders is sharply contradicted by historical rankings that place him near the bottom.

Updated Sep 3, 2026 · 10:18 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • Donald Trump shared an adapted historical graphic categorizing himself alone as the 'greatest' US president in history.
  • Academic evaluations, including the Presidential Greatness Project and Siena University surveys, place Trump at or near the bottom of all US presidents.
  • A White House spokesperson defended Trump's record, maintaining he will be viewed as the most consequential modern president.
  • Historians note that future assessments may shift over time, though his impeachments, convictions, and post-election actions remain major factors in current academic evaluations.

Key facts

  • Donald Trump shared a social media image categorizing US presidents from 'greatest' to 'failures', placing himself alone in the top tier above Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George Washington.[The Guardian]
  • The shared graphic placed former presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Jimmy Carter in the 'failures' tier, while classifying Bill Clinton as 'average'.[The Guardian]
  • The Presidential Greatness Project survey of 154 academics ranked Trump last out of 45 presidents with an average score of 10.92 out of 100, compared to Lincoln's first-place score of 93.87.[The Guardian]
  • Justin Vaughn, co-creator of the Presidential Greatness Project, stated that self-identified Republican and conservative scholars in the survey also viewed Trump poorly.[The Guardian]
  • A 2022 Siena University survey of 141 scholars ranked Trump 43rd out of 45 overall and placed him last in the specific categories of integrity and intelligence.[The Guardian]
  • White House spokesperson Davis Ingle asserted that Trump will be remembered as the most successful and consequential president in modern US history.[The Guardian]

What remains uncertain

  • How Trump's long-term historical ranking may evolve over time remains uncertain, as scholars note that presidential reputations frequently adjust over subsequent decades.[The Guardian]

Sources