Donald Trump has placed himself above all other US presidents in a ranking he shared on social media, declaring himself the only leader in the “greatest” category despite presidential scholars consistently giving him some of the lowest historical ratings. Trump posted the ranking on Truth Social last Thursday, dividing presidents into six groups ranging from “greatest” to “failures”. Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D Roosevelt and George Washington were placed one level below Trump in the “great” category. Scholars rank Trump near the bottomThe president’s assessment differs sharply from surveys of presidential historians and political scientists. Justin Vaughn, a political science professor at Coastal Carolina University and co-creator of the Presidential Greatness Project, said Trump’s ranking was inconsistent with the findings of expert surveys. “It’s not consistent with the findings of the surveys we’ve conducted,” Vaughn said. “It’s also not consistent with other surveys that have been conducted over the last several years.” The most recent Presidential Greatness Project survey questioned 154 academics and ranked Trump last among the 45 presidents assessed. He received an average score of 10.92 on a scale from zero, representing failure, to 100, representing greatness. Lincoln topped the survey with an average score of 93.87. Former presidents such as James Buchanan, who is often criticised for failing to prevent the US civil war, also ranked above Trump. A separate survey by Siena College in 2022 produced a slightly better result for Trump, but still placed him third from the bottom. Only Buchanan and Andrew Johnson ranked lower. Questions over Trump’s recordThe Siena survey also assessed presidents on areas including executive ability, leadership, integrity and intelligence. Trump ranked 45th out of 45 in both integrity and intelligence. Barbara Perry, a presidential studies professor at the University of Virginia, said presidential reputations can change over time as historians reassess their records. Americans, she said, tend to develop “a kind of a golden glow about most ex-presidents”. Trump’s ranking also offered a glimpse into the presidents he admires. Theodore Roosevelt and Grover Cleveland, who like Trump served nonconsecutive terms, were placed in the “near great” category. Perry rejected the idea that Trump belongs among the highest-rated presidents. “In no universe of scholars, I believe, would Donald Trump be in the ‘great’ category, the ‘greatest’ category, ‘near great’ category,” she said. She pointed to Trump’s role in promoting the January 6 insurrection and his continued claims that Joe Biden stole the 2020 election as factors that she believes will weigh heavily on his historical reputation. Perry said those actions undermined the US constitutional system and the rule of law. She also cited what she described as racism and bias against people who are not white Anglo-Saxon Protestants. White House defends Trump’s legacyDavis Ingle, a White House spokesperson, said Trump was focused on delivering what he described as a strong, safe and prosperous country. “The only legacy President Trump is concerned with is making America greater than ever before,” Ingle said. He added that Trump would ultimately be remembered as “the most successful and consequential president in modern American history”. Whether that prediction is borne out will depend on how historians judge Trump’s presidency over time. For now, however, academic surveys place him far from the top of the presidential rankings. Join the discussion? 3 September 2026
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