# Who are the 5 worst U.S. Presidents? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [December 29, 2025, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144 "2025-12-29T16:49:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/101 "2025-12-31T17:21:10Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > he still was an astoundingly incompetent president. This list is the worst presidents, not the most evil. That is a good point, albeit, Trump is not particularly competent either, and it’s not clear to me whether all the things he does are evil or stupid. My husband has often said, and well before Trump was ever on any ballot, that evil happens when selfish meets stupid. Trump has become DH’s exhibit 1. Dubya may not have a heart full of charity and compassion, but he is not a narcissist. Somehow, he simply had more opportunities to screw up in a very big way. Trump has not had to handle a 9/11-- albeit, he was stupendously incompetent in handling the pandemic. I think the main reason Trump has not had a war like Dubya’s Iraq is that Trump does not have a long enough attention span to instigated a war. I am not making a joke. Trump can’t finish a sentence because he has started another one. You can do an SNL sketch about Trump by producing one of his speeches verbatim. Again, not a joke. The only way to tell Trump from a comic imitating him is that the comic can stop. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/102 "2025-12-31T17:21:59Z")
I think George W. Bush vs. Trump would be a great discussion in a separate thread. I know both are bad. I obviously think Trump is much worse, but can also see points for how Bush was worse in terms of actual impact. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/103 "2025-12-31T17:39:14Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I disagree. Trump has taken the US from the most admired country in the world with allies all over the world to the most reviled with no allies at all. he has created a condition of distrust that can be nearly impossible to overcome since countries have realized that it takes only one election to destroy any agreement the US makes. Agreed. See the article in this post in the thread about the US regaining trust internationally (started when Dubya was prez, but now considering Trump; _plus ça change_ …) > [@How can the U.S. regain International goodwill?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-u-s-regain-international-goodwill/387946/57): > > Reviving this thread from 2007 because I have just read this sobering piece by Matt Gurney on the USA’s standing in the world now, at least among the world’s defense and intelligence community: [“We will never fucking trust you again.”](https://www.readtheline.ca/p/matt-gurney-we-will-never-fucking) It’s the author’s reflections on what he experienced at the latest Halifax International Security Forum, which is “an annual gathering of senior military officers, defence and intelligence officials from across the free world, and representatives from the media, … ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/104 "2025-12-31T18:45:52Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > That is a good point, albeit, Trump is not particularly competent either, and it’s not clear to me whether all the things he does are evil or stupid. To me, trying to decide who is worse is like deciding which is worse, an ice pick in my left eye, or an ice pick in my right eye. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/105 "2025-12-31T19:03:29Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > To me, trying to decide who is worse is like deciding which is worse, an ice pick in my left eye, or an ice pick in my right Trump isn’t really doing the job of the president in the normal way. Every previous president of my lifetime, I could assume that when it comes down to it, they would get serious and do the job. I mean, I think Trump fully, and in all ways, just lets that far-right group of advisers do everything. I can’t see him in any real strategy or response meeting. I guess if 9/11 happened now, he’d have to do some of the job? I think Trump just doesn’t see presidenting as something you have to do. It’s more about image and self-gain. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/106 "2025-12-31T19:59:57Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I disagree. Trump has taken the US from the most admired country in the world with allies all over the world to the most reviled with no allies at all. he has created a condition of distrust that can be nearly impossible to overcome since countries have realized that it takes only one election to destroy any agreement the US makes. Even in that respect alone while Trump comes out on top (i.e. bottom) as he completely and irredeemably destroyed American reputation, Dubya is in the same ball park. After 9/11 America had the most incredible out pouring of sympathy, even from traditional enemies, America had never had as positive reputation worldwide even after WW2. Dubya took that and wiped his ass with it by invading Iraq, so Americas reputation reached its nadir (pre Trump) during the Iraq invasion and occupation. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/107 "2025-12-31T21:06:20Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > The Indian Removal Act was signed by Jackson, and he was responsible for the greater(?) parts of that tragedy. True, But the removal could have been done without the tragedies caused by Van Burens incompetence, corruption and bigotry. > [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > And in the process he gave the middle finger to SCOTUS when they ordered him to treat the Cherokee as a nation equal to any other nation, i Read the decision- > **[{{meta.pageTitle}}](https://www.oyez.org/cases/1789-1850/31us515)** > > {{meta.description}} _No. In an opinion delivered by Chief Justice John Marshall, the Court held that the Georgia act, under which Worcester was prosecuted, violated the Constitution, treaties, and laws of the United States. Noting that the “treaties and laws of the United States contemplate the Indian territory as completely separated from that of the states; and provide that all intercourse with them shall be carried on exclusively by the government of the union,” Chief Justice Marshall argued, “The Cherokee nation, then, is a distinct community occupying its own territory in which the laws of Georgia can have no force. The whole intercourse between the United States and this nation, is, by our constitution and laws, vested in the government of the United States.”_ In other word, they ruled what is the situation today- the tribes are like sovereign STATES, _not_ nations, and the tribes are beholden to the federal Government only. Mind you, yes, Jackson was a racist by todays measure, sure, but same with more or less every president until Lincoln, and even he isnt very “woke” by todays standard. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I am 100% on board with this. Nixon was a bad guy, and not a good President. He was similar to Trump in paranoia levels. But look, he actually did try to govern, he got some useful things done, he fostered detente with China. > > More than anything, when he got caught out covering up a third-rate burglary to get elected, _he submitted to the democratic process and stepped down_. This is no particular honor, quite the opposite, but to me it means he can’t be on the top 5 list. Worst 10, certainly- but not the worst 5. > [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > Medicare and Medicaid were both created under Johnson, and of the two, Medicaid is much more reviled. Yep, LBJ did a lot of good things. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/108 "2025-12-31T23:18:53Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > To me, trying to decide who is worse is like deciding which is worse, an ice pick in my left eye, or an ice pick in my right eye. The difference is that Bush Jr. is like someone who was maybe horse playing with the icepick and then accidentally poked you, while Trump is like someone who did it on purpose because he doesn’t like you, and is liable to keep doing it to various other body parts as well. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/109 "2026-01-01T00:05:39Z")
Since w got a colleague of mine beheaded and dumped in front of our office, I don’t see the distinction some of you do. He is A mass murderer and a war criminal. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/110 "2026-01-01T18:08:39Z")
For an insider’s admittedly biased perspective, Teddy Roosevelt said “In time Wilson will be the most damned man in America since the days of Buchanan and Andrew Johnson.” ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/111 "2026-01-01T22:59:56Z")
Two things still stand out in my mind about W. Prepfar that has saved an enormous number of lives and one I just read about yesterday: an initiative to fight malaria. Both have of course been ended by Trump. A surprising number of countries went along with the war against Iraq. Many didn’t of course (remember “freedom fries”), but many did. I just cannot put W, no matter how much I disdain him, in the same class as people who set out to do evil (the two Andrews) and the people who do so through incompetence. ---
**Author:** ![Mikestone8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Mikestone8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikestone8)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/112 "2026-01-03T10:51:47Z")
I’m surprised you omit Franklin Pierce. The Kansa-Nebraska act was the event which set the US on the road to civil war. Buchanan didn’t help, but the damage was already done by the time he was elected. I wouldn’t include Jackson. If it’s his treatment iof the Indians that bothers you, my guess is that this would have happened whoever had been POTUS. The white population was spreading west, so wanted them out of the way. Any attempt to change this would meet the same result that King Canute did. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/113 "2026-01-03T13:12:07Z")
> [@Mikestone8](#): > > Jackson. If it’s his treatment iof the Indians that bothers you, my guess is that this would have happened whoever had been POTUS Thats not true. The Indian removal act, that directly caused the trail of tears, was Andrew Jacksons doing and it was very controversial at the time, only passing with a slim majority. It would not have passed without Jackson, who championed the policy, ran on it in the general election and used his not inconsiderable political skills to get it passed. ---
**Author:** ![Mikestone8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Mikestone8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikestone8)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/114 "2026-01-03T13:54:49Z")
But did the act really do anything except make the removal slightly more organised? The Indians would have been hounded out anyway. Even f the Federal Gov’t seriously wanted to protect them, could it have done so any more effectively than it was able to protect freed Blacks during Reconstruction? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/115 "2026-01-03T19:53:18Z")
> [@Mikestone8](#): > > I wouldn’t include Jackson. If it’s his treatment iof the Indians that bothers you, my guess is that this would have happened whoever had been POTUS. Sadly, yes, and the brutality of the Trial of tears happened under Van Buren anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/116 "2026-01-03T20:27:17Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > The Indian removal act, that directly caused the trail of tears, was Andrew Jacksons doing and it was very controversial at the time, only passing with a slim majority. It would not have passed without Jackson, who championed the policy, ran on it in the general election and used his not inconsiderable political skills to get it passed. Of course Indian removal would have happened. Population pressure would have forced it. We know this because it happened in every other corner of the country before and after the Trail of Tears for the entirety of the 19th century and for exactly that reason. The entirety of the white population supported it – except for those who believed that the Indians should be systemically eliminated. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/117 "2026-01-03T20:52:11Z")
I think Trump heard us. He’s definitely trying to find new levels of the barrel so he can always be bottom of the barrel. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/118 "2026-01-04T02:00:18Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Of course Indian removal would have happened. Population pressure would have forced it. We know this because it happened in every other corner of the country before and after the Trail of Tears for the entirety of the 19th century and for exactly that reason. The entirety of the white population supported it – except for those who believed that the Indians should be systemically eliminated. Yep. It wasnt Jackson. It was basically White America. However the Native Americans didnt help, as they turned a blind eye to young braves doing what they always used to do. Neither society understood the other. The actual Trail of Tears was a fuck up due to the Van Buren administrations corruption and incompetence. Not to mention some racism added in. It could have been done competently. Still, hardly a happy moment in American History, but it could have been done without the significant loss of life. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/119 "2026-01-05T19:20:15Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Of course Indian removal would have happened. Population pressure would have forced it. But the Trail of Tears was _not_ just a natural result of population pressure. It was an explicit atrocity carried out by the US government and enacted as the Indian Removal act. And it stands out even in comparison with the other violence perpetuated against native Americans by the US government and people. Jackson was personally responsible for it, so he is uniquely reprehensible among US presidents and gets in the top five. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144/120 "2026-01-05T19:55:17Z")
The arguments here are not that Jackson was a good person. Rather we’re all saying that atrocities against the natives called Indians were perpetrated by presidents before and after Jackson, all for two intertwined reasons. The first and foremost saw Americans moving from the east, south, and west into what they considered unclaimed territory, a problem that existed during the 17th century and became a national issue because of the Revolution and persisted no matter what any official body said. Manifest Destiny didn’t emerge from Jackson; it postdated him. Yet it was far more than a slogan. White settlers believed it was their god-given right to put to use the land occupied by savages. That was the second reason. Read any talk about natives in the 19th century and the vileness of the contempt about their intelligence, manners, society, and status as humans outdoes even the worst public rhetoric against any group today. Jackson was an example, and not even its peak. I’d rate the post-Civil War period of deliberate attempted genocide as a series of worse atrocities than forced resettlement. People seriously wanted every single native dead and the U.S. Army set out to oblige. No good way exists to separate or balance those atrocities (or those committed against the black population slave and free) against the undeniable gains of the vast white majority. Both must be mentioned together because they historically existed together. Excluding either side distorts history. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-5-worst-u-s-presidents/1026144.md?page=7)