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Which presidents are commonly ranked above Trump and why?
Executive summary
Major academic and media ranking projects and public polls commonly place a number of presidents ahead of Donald Trump because historians and poll respondents emphasize crisis leadership, legislative accomplishment, and lasting national impact (for example, Lincoln, FDR, and Washington rank very highly in expert surveys) while Trump has ranked near the bottom in several expert “greatness” tallies and low in some public evaluations (experts’ 2024 Presidential Greatness Project put Trump last at #44; C‑SPAN’s 2021 poll placed him among the lowest-rated recent presidents) [1] [2]. Public polls that ask voters about recent presidents show more variation — some surveys put Trump above specific contemporaries on favorability — reflecting partisan polarization and different question framings [3] [4].
1. Which presidents are commonly ranked above Trump — and by whom?
Historical expert surveys and long‑running academic studies typically place Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Washington, and often Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson near the top; these same expert rankings put Trump near the bottom or last among modern presidents in recent expert polls such as the Presidential Greatness Project [5] where Trump ranked last at #44 and the 2021 C‑SPAN survey that listed him among the lowest‑rated presidents [1] [2]. Public opinion polls (Gallup, Economist/YouGov, and other contemporary polls cited in commentary) show John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama performing strongly on certain questions about historical standing — and those polls often rank Trump variably depending on wording and timing, sometimes above specific recent presidents but below traditional “greats” [3] [4].
2. Why experts favor Lincoln, FDR and Washington over Trump
Scholarly and expert rankings stress handling of existential crises, transformative policy and constitutional impact. Lincoln is valued for preserving the Union and ending slavery; FDR for leading through the Great Depression and World War II and transforming the federal government; Washington for setting institutional precedents for the presidency. Expert surveys measure “greatness” on those grounds, which is why these presidents consistently outscore others in academic lists — criteria where Trump’s record is judged differently or found lacking by many historians [1] [2].
3. Why some polls still place Trump above particular presidents
Polls of the general public or partisan samples ask about “favorability” or “will go down in history as outstanding/above average,” and answers track contemporary politics and partisanship. For example, a December 2024 Gallup item showed Trump rated higher than Jimmy Carter and Joe Biden on the “outstanding/above average” composite in the set of recent presidents; other polls like Economist/YouGov found similar relative placements depending on sample and question wording [3] [4]. Commentators note that partisan loyalty and recency effects — people reward presidents who enacted policies they like or who remain salient — drive these differences [3] [4].
4. Methodology matters — experts vs. public, “greatness” vs. approval
Academic/expert surveys (Presidential Greatness Project, C‑SPAN, Siena Research Institute and similar) use historians and presidential scholars applying multi‑dimensional criteria; these tend to emphasize long‑term historical consequences and place crisis leadership and institutional legacy at a premium [1] [2]. Public polls (Gallup, YouGov/Economist, Quantus, Gallup items cited in commentary) measure current perceptions, favorability or approval and therefore reflect partisan alignment, recent events, and media narratives — producing more variable outcomes for Trump [3] [4] [6].
5. Competing viewpoints and limitations in the reporting
Scholars such as Durham University’s David Andersen stress that “greatness” is hard to define and that rankings change over time as reputations evolve; some recent presidents (Grant, George W. Bush) have been reassessed upward in expert work, illustrating that later scholarship and longer time horizons can alter standings [7] [2]. At the same time, contemporary polls (e.g., Quantus, Gallup) show strong partisan support for Trump among Republicans that keeps him comparatively popular in some public measures — an alternative viewpoint that warns against treating expert consensus as identical to public sentiment [6] [3]. Available sources do not mention comprehensive post‑2025 expert re‑rankings that fully incorporate Trump’s second term trajectory — C‑SPAN postponed its 2025 survey for that reason [2].
6. Bottom line for readers
If you look to historians and expert surveys using historical‑impact criteria, presidents usually ranked above Trump are Lincoln, FDR, Washington (and several others like Teddy Roosevelt and Jefferson), because experts privilege crisis leadership, legislative accomplishment and long‑term institutional effects — areas where expert consensus so far places Trump near the bottom [1] [2]. If you look to current public polls or partisan favorability measures, Trump’s placement is more mixed and often higher relative to specific recent presidents, showing that question design and partisanship drive different rankings [3] [4] [6].