Republicans: Where do you honestly think Trump will be ranked by future historians?

[Inmate Trump]

The general consensus is that he'll be ranking at the bottom alongside James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson as one of the worst presidents in our history.

Of course, no one can say for sure until his time in office is done.

But Republicans, where do you truly believe he'll end up being ranked by future historians?

[Badger]

Not a republican, but I will opine any way to start the ball rolling. He'll rank lower than Andrew Johnson. It's neck-and neck whether he or Buchanan were ranked lower. Buchanan's dithering and in action in the face of the coming civil war was unmitigated awful. However, trumps dithering and in action in the face of coronavirus, even to the extent of suppressing it's looming threat and then fighting the steps needing to contain it all for personal political gain, are arguably just as bad.

The Civil War obviously killed significantly more Americans then Coronavirus (so far), and we would have had the coronavirus hit us regardless just like it did the rest of the world. However, it's likewise tough to see almost any president, even a James Polk or an Abraham Lincoln, being able to stop the Civil War through decisive leadership in 1858 through 1860. Circumstances  we're far far different from the  secession crisis of the 1820s where Jackson gave John C Calhoun and his cohorts a well needed smacking down, and not readily replicatable in 1860. The resulting War would have arguably been just as bad as it actually turned out to be, whereas the difference between the way a president Hillary Clinton, or even a president Cruz or Jeb Bush would have handled the coronavirus versus the way Trump has dumpster fired the whole thing resulted in an additional death toll at least in the high five digits, possibly six figures by the time we get through this.

 Plus, it's arguable Buchanan at very least blundered and dithered because he was a weak person and leader, rather than out of personal political advantage. Trump has kept his eye firmly on getting re-elected, even by taking the most selfish means possible, whereas Buchanan I believe realized quite early into the secession crisis that he was going to be a lame duck. Inaction is at least morally Superior to outright malicious self-interest, and the same holds true for a president.

And then there's the corruption and treason. Trump is arguably worse than Buchanan because not only did he completely and utterly fail in the face of one of the most serious and deadly crisis in our nation's history, but he combines and even exceeds all the presidential abuse of authority plus rampant self-dealing and cronyism of the Andrew Johnson, Nixon, and Harding Administrations, also regularly counted by historians as among our worst.

Seriously, now that I have said this out loud, having combined the worst aspects of the bottom three or four presidencies, how does Trump not come out as literally the worst president in history? Because the Civil War killed more people than coronavirus thus far?

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

Bottom 5

The blood of 130,000 Americans (and counting) is directly on his hands; he has mismanaged the greatest crisis this country has faced in generations at every single step.

[BlueSwan]

Not a republican, but I am almost certain that he’ll be dead last and it won’t be a particularly close call.

[7,052,770]

Anyone who honestly expects better than bottom 5 lives totally outside of reality. Politics aside, the guy doesn't even try to have the basic knowledge necessary to do the job. Pure laziness and spite.

[ctrepublican512]

right before Buchanan

[AtorBoltox]

I could only really see an argument for Andre Johnson or James Buchanan as worse. He's far surpassed the Warren Harding tier of awfulness

[Andrew]

Incompetence, corruption, and malevolence?  Nobody else can match that trifecta.

[Person Man]

We've seen NeverTrumpers here but no actual Trump supporters.

If he wins, I can see his supporters seeing him as a "top 5" by them by simply winning twice despite everything.

[SevenEleven]

I could only really see an argument for Andre Johnson or James Buchanan as worse. He's far surpassed the Warren Harding tier of awfulness

Bottom five for sure, with his compadres Johnson, Buchanan, Bush Jr. and Tyler, too.

[Penn_Quaker_Girl]

I could only really see an argument for Andre Johnson or James Buchanan as worse. He's far surpassed the Warren Harding tier of awfulness

Good ol' President Andre3000, himself!

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I expect bottom 5. I would put him just below the median at this point.

[Person Man]

I expect bottom 5. I would put him just below the median at this point.

That's honest.

[RI]

Before the last few months, he would've been ranked near the very bottom, and I would've felt it primarily due to academic bias. Now, he'll likely be ranked near the very bottom, and I might just agree with it. He's been given so many chances, and he's blown almost all of them.

[Orser67]

If you look at polls of historians, there's a pretty clear bottom 4 of Buchanan, Johnson, Pierce, and Harding (excluding William Henry Harrison, who imo really shouldn't be part of these kinds of polls). Since Grant's rehabilitation around the turn of the century, these four have consistently ranked lower than the next tier of presidents, which includes Hoover, Tyler, Fillmore, and a few other one-termers.

It's pretty clear to me that Trump will be rounding out the bottom 5 of historical rankings, but I'm not sure where exactly he'll rank. In the long term, I suspect that he'll be ranked above Buchanan and Johnson but below Pierce and Harding. Personally, that's probably about where I'd place him.

[Rep Jessica]

Top 10. Fighting communism attempting an revolution within our own cities will make him look pretty good in the history books.

[Escape Pod Zero]

Nevertrumper here. One of the worst. Though obviously not as bad as Andrew Johnson or James Buchanan.

[Mr. Smith]

As I'm not a Republican, I'm not opining.

But I will point out that Bush Jr was supposed to be the near bottom,...but he has been rehabilitated somewhat since. What's to say that this doesn't happen with Trump.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Top 10. Fighting communism attempting an revolution within our own cities will make him look pretty good in the history books.

Given Trump's performance as President, it's looking far more likely that the communists will be writing the history books than was the case four years ago.

[Damocles]

Before the last few months, he would've been ranked near the very bottom, and I would've felt it primarily due to academic bias. Now, he'll likely be ranked near the very bottom, and I might just agree with it. He's been given so many chances, and he's blown almost all of them.

Thank you for putting country before party.

[Former President tack50]

A year ago I would have said bad but not awful. Somewhere around 35/45; comparable to George W Bush or Hervert Hoover.

Now I'd put him even lower; probably 40th or 41st; basically tied with Harding, but still above Pierce, Buchanan and Andrew Johnson

[Meclazine for Israel]

President Trump is definitely an "end-member of the spectrum". Democrats "worst nightmare" etc...

But interestingly, Donald will go down as one of the most powerful Presidents in modern US history.

His tactics with ignoring the media are a departure from the norm. Whereas Obama and Bush would make deals with the media and play the game, Trump will go down in history as the first President to ignore modern media and employ social media, in this case, Twitter, to message his constituents directly.

I initially expected this tactic to be fruitless, but it turned out to be quite a success.

Donald J Trump is also the wealthiest President, a TV personality so one would expect him to be remembered in history as the first "lying, stealing business manager" type to sneak through the political elite of the US and grab the torch.

This will have an impact in history on the nature of candidates to follow i.e. TV stars and wealthy billionaires.

Regardless of the whether the next elected President after Trump is Democrat or Republican, one would also expect the relationship with China to be more on US terms thanks to his aggressive posturing with Asian trading partners.

Historically, the epitaph of President Trump will come down to November 2020. If he is turfed out, then it will be deemed a failed experiment. If he is re-elected, then one could safely say that 8-year term Presidents are treated more kindly on their Wikipedia page.

[Saint Milei]

Why does it matter? Historians are bias and don't actually care about what makes a good president.

[Person Man]

President Trump is definitely an "end-member of the spectrum". Democrats "worst nightmare" etc...

But interestingly, Donald will go down as one of the most powerful Presidents in modern US history.

His tactics with ignoring the media are a departure from the norm. Whereas Obama and Bush would make deals with the media and play the game, Trump will go down in history as the first President to ignore modern media and employ social media, in this case, Twitter, to message his constituents directly.

I initially expected this tactic to be fruitless, but it turned out to be quite a success.

Donald J Trump is also the wealthiest President, a TV personality so one would expect him to be remembered in history as the first "lying, stealing business manager" type to sneak through the political elite of the US and grab the torch.

This will have an impact in history on the nature of candidates to follow i.e. TV stars and wealthy billionaires.

Regardless of the whether the next elected President after Trump is Democrat or Republican, one would also expect the relationship with China to be more on US terms thanks to his aggressive posturing with Asian trading partners.

Historically, the epitaph of President Trump will come down to November 2020. If he is turfed out, then it will be deemed a failed experiment. If he is re-elected, then one could safely say that 8-year term Presidents are treated more kindly on their Wikipedia page.

The fact that no one could stop him would be significant. So much so, I think him getting re-elected in 20 will spell doom for Republicans in 22. Where will they be without Trump? Where were Republicans without either Karl Rove or President Obama? 2021 to 2025 will be very hard years for them.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

There was a poll of 170 presidential scholars ranking the greatness of all presidents in early 2018, just a year into Trump’s presidency.  I’ve linked to it at the bottom.

Even at this early point uis his presidency, Trump ranked dead last (44th out of 44).  This group of respondents definitely has a liberal tilt.  But among Republicans only, Trump was still close to the bottom, ranking 40th out of 44, ahead of only Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Pierce, and WH Harrison (who usually isn’t even ranked).

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/169AFBF02BBE5938C2FA78902A1CB77B/S1049096520000177a.pdf/presidential_greatness_in_a_polarized_era_results_from_the_latest_presidential_greatness_survey.pdf