POLL: Is Trump the worst president the United States has ever had?

[Ljube]

For years I've been arguing against those who said Trump was the worst president in history by pointing out that James Buchanan quietly supported efforts to arm rebel militants seeking to overthrow the U. S. government in his final days in office.

Well ...

Yea, it would be hard to top that. Trump though, found a way.

Trump didn't intend to break up the United States, but to compel the Congress to declare/elect him President. That's different.

[AnOdyssey]

Is it true that Buchanan supported rebels against the U.S? I always believed he sat on his hands and did nothing as the country divided. Didn't want to please anyone, nor upset anyone.

Bush 43 is an example of why being a decent person for governor of a state doesn't necessarily translate well into being a good President.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Yes and I'm not even sure it's close now.

Feels weird that just four days ago I would be passionately arguing that Bush, Buchanan etc were just as bad. Not anymore.

A case can still be made that Buchanan was worse, tho with eleven days to go, Trump can still pull into a clear lead as the worst.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

"Don't forget James Buchanan single-handedly started the Civil War!"

And Trump single-handedly stormed the Capitol?

Don't get me wrong. Trump is certainly the leading contender for the worst president position, but it's not a slam dunk certainty, and it is a question that would be better answered a couple decades from now.

[Badger]

"Don't forget James Buchanan single-handedly started the Civil War!"

And Trump single-handedly stormed the Capitol?

Don't get me wrong. Trump is certainly the leading contender for the worst president position, but it's not a slam dunk certainty, and it is a question that would be better answered a couple decades from now.

He absolutely single-handedly incited tbe storming, by a cult of personality dedicated to him personally.

Any othef presidential contenders from 1856 beats Buchanan, the Civil War still almost certainly occurs. Trump isn't elected in 2016. what happened Wednesday almost certainly doesn't occur.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

"Don't forget James Buchanan single-handedly started the Civil War!"

And Trump single-handedly stormed the Capitol?

Don't get me wrong. Trump is certainly the leading contender for the worst president position, but it's not a slam dunk certainty, and it is a question that would be better answered a couple decades from now.

He absolutely single-handedly incited tbe storming, by a cult of personality dedicated to him personally.

Any other presidential contenders from 1856 beats Buchanan, the Civil War still almost certainly occurs. Trump isn't elected in 2016. what happened Wednesday almost certainly doesn't occur.

Sadly, I have to disagree. I've said it before, but Trump isn't the cause of the Republican Party's descent into madness, but a symptom. At best, if Trump doesn't win in 2016, the GOP's descent is delayed, not prevented.

[Badger]

"Don't forget James Buchanan single-handedly started the Civil War!"

And Trump single-handedly stormed the Capitol?

Don't get me wrong. Trump is certainly the leading contender for the worst president position, but it's not a slam dunk certainty, and it is a question that would be better answered a couple decades from now.

He absolutely single-handedly incited tbe storming, by a cult of personality dedicated to him personally.

Any other presidential contenders from 1856 beats Buchanan, the Civil War still almost certainly occurs. Trump isn't elected in 2016. what happened Wednesday almost certainly doesn't occur.

Sadly, I have to disagree. I've said it before, but Trump isn't the cause of the Republican Party's descent into madness, but a symptom. At best, if Trump doesn't win in 2016, the GOP's descent is delayed, not prevented.

I actually have to agree with you on that point. However, I still contend that Trumls role in this debacle, and numerous others, is much more direct and causational than even Buchanan's still awful contributions for starting the Civil War

[Pericles]

Trump might be the worst at being President, but he is clearly not the most harmful President. Maybe if American democracy ultimately dies, but even then likely not because it is still strong enough that its death would be mainly someone else's fault. So it depends on your definition I guess.

[emailking]

When the call with Raffensperger leaked, I said on here it was the nail in the coffin for him being the worst President. I feel like Wednesday glued it shut and buried it 100 feet underground.

[Buffalo Mayor Young Kim]

Well I used to say Buchanan, because Trump still hadn’t managed to cause a rebellion.

Welp, he blew past that one

[Ogre Mage]

Traitor Trump is unquestionably the worst president in U.S. history.

[TheReckoning]

"Don't forget James Buchanan single-handedly started the Civil War!"

And Trump single-handedly stormed the Capitol?

Don't get me wrong. Trump is certainly the leading contender for the worst president position, but it's not a slam dunk certainty, and it is a question that would be better answered a couple decades from now.

He absolutely single-handedly incited tbe storming, by a cult of personality dedicated to him personally.

Any othef presidential contenders from 1856 beats Buchanan, the Civil War still almost certainly occurs. Trump isn't elected in 2016. what happened Wednesday almost certainly doesn't occur.

What happened on Wednesday is a snowball fight compared to the Civil War.

[Non Swing Voter]

I used to think GWB was worse because he literally started a war predicated on lies.  But Trump attempted a coup, so he wins.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Is it true that Buchanan supported rebels against the U.S? I always believed he sat on his hands and did nothing as the country divided. Didn't want to please anyone, nor upset anyone.

Buchanan has two major marks against him that are a result of his direct actions.

1. His cabinet members, especially the Secretary of War, shifted resources to the South in the hopes that it would fall into enemy hands.

2. His role in Dred Scott, where it is alleged that he was involved in swaying Justices to back Taney's ruling, which obviously would violate the Separation of Powers.

Buchanan thus earns the top spot on the worst list because of these two items in my view. A lot of people would list him as such for "failing to prevent the Civil War", but Buchanan didn't cause the Civil War and it is unlikely he had the means to stop it. In his head, the Dred Scott ruling was the ultimate solution that would "settle the matter for all of time".

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Everyone’s overlooking Andrew Johnson, who actively tried to hinder Reconstruction.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

"Don't forget James Buchanan single-handedly started the Civil War!"

And Trump single-handedly stormed the Capitol?

Don't get me wrong. Trump is certainly the leading contender for the worst president position, but it's not a slam dunk certainty, and it is a question that would be better answered a couple decades from now.

He absolutely single-handedly incited tbe storming, by a cult of personality dedicated to him personally.

Any othef presidential contenders from 1856 beats Buchanan, the Civil War still almost certainly occurs. Trump isn't elected in 2016. what happened Wednesday almost certainly doesn't occur.

Yes, but what happened yesterday also isn’t equivalent to the CIVIL WAR.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

"Don't forget James Buchanan single-handedly started the Civil War!"

And Trump single-handedly stormed the Capitol?

Don't get me wrong. Trump is certainly the leading contender for the worst president position, but it's not a slam dunk certainty, and it is a question that would be better answered a couple decades from now.

He absolutely single-handedly incited tbe storming, by a cult of personality dedicated to him personally.

Any othef presidential contenders from 1856 beats Buchanan, the Civil War still almost certainly occurs. Trump isn't elected in 2016. what happened Wednesday almost certainly doesn't occur.

What happened on Wednesday is a snowball fight compared to the Civil War.

Of course the Trumputsch isn't equivalent to the entire Civil War. But it echoes much of what led up to it, from the  Brooks–Sumner Affair, to a raid by the Border Ruffians, and various seizures of federal facilities by Southern governments.

[dw93]

I'm gonna wait for the dust to settle and some time to pass to answer, but at this point it's an undeniable fact that Andrew Johnson and James Buchanan are the only ones who can compete with him for the title of worst.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Is it true that Buchanan supported rebels against the U.S? I always believed he sat on his hands and did nothing as the country divided. Didn't want to please anyone, nor upset anyone.

In the final days of his administration, Buchanan's secretary of war, John Floyd, and others close to the president began quietly emptying federal arsenals in the North and shipping the contents South to outfit Southern militias in states where secession was imminent. After South Carolina adopted its Ordinance of Secession on December 20, 1860 and secessionist militia in Charleston set their sights on the four forts (Sumter, Moultrie, Johnson, and Castle Pinckney) and three batteries controlling the harbor, Buchanan promised the secessionist government he would not occupy Fort Sumter —the strongest and most strategically placed of the fortifications. Instead, Floyd ordered Anderson to stay put at Fort Moultrie —a crumbling ruin, open to the street and indefensible against attack from the land —and took great pains to make clear that Anderson was not expected to defend the forts in the event of an attack. When Anderson moved his garrison from Moultrie to Sumter on the night of December 26, thus ensuring federal forces would keep command of the harbor for the next four months, Buchanan was reportedly devastated and even angry at Anderson for this action which likely saved the Union cause in the early months of the crisis.