TL/DR –
President Joe Biden ranks 14th-best president in American history in a Presidents’ Day poll of historians, ahead of Ronald Reagan, Woodrow Wilson, and Ulysses S. Grant. Donald Trump placed last in the ranking. Historians cited Biden’s management of the Covid pandemic, infrastructure rebuilding, and international leadership against Russian aggression as notable achievements, but highlighted his most significant accomplishment as removing Trump from office.
President Biden Outranks Trump in Historian Poll Despite Approval Ratings
Despite lower approval ratings than any other president dating back to Dwight D. Eisenhower at this stage of their term, President Biden finds solace in a recent historian poll ranking him the 14th best U.S. president, above Woodrow Wilson, Ronald Reagan, and Ulysses S. Grant. Trump, however, was declared the worst.
Indeed, Biden’s high standing could be attributed to his role in ending Trump’s controversial tenure. Known for managing the Covid pandemic end, leading an international coalition against Russian aggression, and overseeing major infrastructure improvements, Biden’s key achievement, say historians, was dislodging Trump from the Oval Office.
The results announced in The Los Angeles Times suggest that Biden’s traditional presidential style offered a much-needed shift from Trump’s unconventional approach. Trump, in comparison, ranked poorly among both general and Republican-aligned historians, trailing even pre-Civil War failures.
Modern Presidential Rankings Reflect Cultural Changes
Current affairs greatly shape these assessments, which may change over time. Barack Obama and Ulysses S. Grant, for instance, both climbed nine places since 2015. Conversely, Andrew Jackson and Ronald Reagan have fallen due to their problematic legacies. Greater focus on racial justice today has impacted these changes.
The top spots stayed the same, with Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson leading the list. Opinions vary among historians depending on their political leanings, especially for modern presidents.
Partisan Divisions in Presidential Rankings
Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Obama, and Biden’s rankings differ significantly among Republican and Democratic scholars. Interestingly, Bill Clinton’s ratings show little partisan difference, with Republicans ranking him slightly higher, possibly due to his centrist politics and the ongoing #MeToo movement.
The poll, conducted by Justin Vaughn and Brandon Rottinghaus, associate professor of political science at Coastal Carolina University and professor of political science at the University of Houston respectively, received 154 responses from scholars nationwide.
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