Biden ranks 14th and Trump last in Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey
In a comprehensive survey focused on evaluating the effectiveness and impact of U.S. presidents, President Joe Biden has been ranked as the 14th-best president, according to a panel of experts specializing in the American presidency. This survey, known as the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey, paints a contrasting picture for former President Donald Trump, who is positioned at the very bottom of the list.
Expert Insights on Presidential Greatness
Conducted between November 15 and December 31, the survey involved current and recent members of the Presidents and Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association, the leading group of social science experts in presidential politics. The experts collectively crowned Abraham Lincoln as America’s greatest president, a testament to Lincoln’s enduring legacy.
President Biden found himself in a favorable spot, placed ahead of historical figures such as Woodrow Wilson, Ronald Reagan, and Ulysses S. Grant. Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama secured the 7th position, climbing eight spots higher than in the previous year’s polling results.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Donald Trump received the survey’s lowest ranking, coming in at 45th place. This placed him behind presidents James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, and William Henry Harrison, who have historically been critiqued for their presidencies.
The survey also explored the partisan and ideological differences among the respondents, noting that these differences did not significantly alter the overall outcome. However, a clear partisan division was observed in the evaluations of Obama and Biden, with Democrat respondents ranking them significantly higher than their Republican counterparts.
