Donald Trump Is the Worst President in American History

This is about more than political disagreement

America has endured ineffective presidents, corrupt administrations and leaders who failed the country during moments of crisis. But no president has combined Donald Trump's attacks on democratic institutions, disregard for established norms, personal legal troubles and relentless division of the American people.

That is why I believe Trump is the worst president in United States history.

This conclusion is not based simply on political disagreement. Americans can reasonably debate taxes, immigration, government spending and foreign policy. Presidents should not be branded historical failures merely because their policies are unpopular with the opposing party.

Trump's record, however, goes far beyond ordinary policy disagreements. His presidency has repeatedly tested whether loyalty to one politician can be placed above loyalty to the Constitution, the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power.

Read the source: Presidential Greatness Project: 2024 expert survey ↗

A president who refused to accept defeat

The peaceful transfer of power is one of the foundations of American democracy. Presidents before Trump understood that the office belonged to the people, not to the person temporarily occupying it.

After losing the 2020 election, Trump refused to accept the result. He repeatedly promoted claims of widespread election fraud despite courts and election officials rejecting those allegations. He pressured public officials and encouraged efforts to block certification of the election.

The House committee that investigated the January 6 attack concluded that Trump participated in a sustained effort to overturn the legitimate result of the election. Its final report was based on interviews, documents and public hearings and remains available through the Government Publishing Office.

January 6 was not an ordinary protest. The United States Capitol was violently attacked while Congress performed its constitutional duty. Police officers were assaulted, lawmakers fled for safety and the peaceful transfer of power was interrupted.

Trump's supporters may dispute how much responsibility he personally carries for every action committed that day. What cannot reasonably be disputed is that no previous American president responded to an electoral defeat by undertaking such an extensive campaign to remain in power. That alone places Trump in a category of his own.

Read the source: Government Publishing Office: January 6 Committee final report ↗

Twice impeached and criminally convicted

Trump is the only president in American history to have been impeached twice. The Senate acquitted him in both proceedings, but the impeachments remain part of the official historical record documented by Congress.

He also became the first current or former American president convicted of felony crimes. A New York jury found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump has challenged the prosecution and continued pursuing legal remedies, but the jury's verdict is a matter of public record documented by the New York court system.

No president should be presumed morally perfect, and criminal convictions do not automatically settle every question about a presidency. Yet character, honesty and respect for the law must count when evaluating the person entrusted with enforcing the nation's laws.

Trump's record repeatedly forces Americans to ask whether loyalty to one man has become more important than loyalty to the Constitution. For a president, that is not a side issue. It goes directly to whether the immense authority of the office is being exercised for the country or for the individual holding it.

Read the source: Congressional Constitution Annotated: Trump and impeachable offenses ↗

Division became the governing strategy

Many presidents have been partisan. Trump turned division into the center of his political identity.

Rather than seeing political opponents as fellow Americans with different ideas, he routinely portrayed them as enemies. He attacked judges, prosecutors, journalists, election workers and public servants whenever they challenged him. His language encouraged Americans to view compromise as betrayal and disagreement as warfare.

Presidents have enormous influence over the national culture. Their words can calm a frightened country or inflame its worst instincts. Trump repeatedly chose confrontation.

His defenders often describe this behavior as strength. But cruelty is not strength, and humiliation is not leadership. A president's job is not merely to excite the people who voted for him. The president is responsible for serving the entire country, including those who did not.

Read the source: New York courts: Decision documenting the 34-count jury verdict ↗

The historical judgment is already devastating

Calling Trump the worst president is an opinion, but it is not an opinion held only by his political opponents.

In the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project survey, presidential scholars ranked Trump last among American presidents. Historical rankings are not infallible. Scholars can have political biases, and a president's reputation can change over time.

Trump's supporters can also point to policies they favor, including conservative judicial appointments, tax reductions, deregulation and stricter immigration enforcement. Those accomplishments should be acknowledged when evaluating his complete record.

But policy victories cannot erase an assault on the democratic process. They cannot erase two impeachments, a felony conviction or years of language that treated millions of Americans as enemies of their own country.

Read the source: Business Insider: Evan Vucci/AP windblown Trump photograph ↗

The presidency should be bigger than one man

The greatest presidents strengthened the nation's institutions and expanded Americans' belief that the country could survive its divisions. Abraham Lincoln preserved the Union. Franklin Roosevelt led during economic collapse and world war. George Washington voluntarily surrendered power and established the precedent that presidents are not kings.

Trump represents the opposite tradition. He has repeatedly treated the presidency as an extension of himself: his grievances, his personal battles and his demand for loyalty. He has convinced millions of Americans that any institution opposing him must be corrupt and that any election he loses must be illegitimate.

That damage may outlast any single policy or court appointment. America will debate Donald Trump for generations. His supporters will defend him, his opponents will condemn him and historians will continue reviewing the evidence.

My judgment is already clear: No president has done more to weaken public trust, divide the country and place personal power above democratic responsibility.

Donald Trump is not merely a controversial president. He is the worst president the United States has had thus far.

This article is opinion and reflects the views of the author.