We've discussed the idea of Donald Trump's place within American history around a year ago when he was defiantly speaking out against the ongoing impeachment trial that was taking place against him. Bullish about his own innocence and the coming second term he expected to be preparing for whilst even touting the idea that he believed that rather than be removed he should be given a third term in office, Trump continued as his own best promoter - to himself he stood as the unassailable peak of American Presidencies whilst for many others he stood at the other end of the scale.
Twelve months on we arrive here, his final day in office having (despite his claims to the opposite) having definitively lost the Presidential election to a man Trump claimed was inept with dementia and yet also shrewd enough to have elaborately conspired at a national level to steal the result from him. But with the arrival of this final day we finally have the book end on the four year Presidency of Donald Trump, his full official record now available to review, though we can expect many tales and more to emerge from the White House in the coming years as an opposition presidency takes seat and numerous court cases arrive on Trump's door step.
With this four year term now complete we can cast an eye on Trump's accomplishments to decide:
Is Donald Trump the worst President in American history?
It's obviously a key note that this is the question, the question of if he's the best President never really being put forward by anyone in the last four years. But there are three key areas we need to first consider when establishing the criteria for consideration.
Criteria One - The Competition
The ten other US Presidents who are commonly considered for the dubious honour of overseeing America's darkest chapters of office are often:
James Buchanan
America's 15th President in the mid-1800's, Buchanan failed to act over the polarised issue of the time of Slavery. His inaction would pave the way for the Civil War and one of the countries worst recessions.
Franklin Pierce
Buchanan's predecessor, Pierce was also a man of inaction with his few movements mostly focused on limiting the progression of the anti-slavery movement. He also oversaw the unpopular annex of Cuba.
Andrew Johnson
One of the few impeached Presidents, Johnson didn't hold the protocols of office too tightly and so the public didn't take him seriously as a leader. He spent much of his time arguing with Congress.
John Tyler
Tyler abused his power, using it to veto key decisions intended to save America from collapse as he held a troubled sense of what constituted American values. In time his own party kicked him out.
William Henry Harrison
Dying just one month into his term, Harrison set out an agenda that he never saw carried out but his unfulfilled plans would lead America into a constitutional crisis lasting 125 years.
Warren G Harding
Often failed to carry out his Presidential duties because he was busy pursuing his interests in women. He was also a corrupt politician, giving prominent roles to friends with his downward slide only stopped by his own death two years into office.
Chester A Arthur
A popular President at the time, Arthur oversaw huge expansion with the US however his plans were too shortsighted resulting in the country overstretching itself and by the time his term was coming to an end his house of cards collapsed and America fell into the Great Depression.
Herbert Hoover
Hoover inherited the Great Depression just as it hit at the start of his Presidency and as the cornerstone issue at the time Hoover bore the brunt of responsibility and blame for the nations failure to pull out of it as fast as the people needed it to.
Richard Nixon
A popular President at the time, Nixon's term is none the less defined by the Watergate scandal and years of successes washed away with his time ending with his own resignation.
George W Bush
Bush found his early Presidency thrust into an unexpected direction when 9/11 took place and a baying public demanded action and retribution for the attack on their own soil that had devastated New York. The result was the commencement of two wars started under false pretences and with it a sealed reputation.
-Installed roughly 25% of all current lifetime appointed circuit court judges and three Supreme Court judges ensuring his influence will outlast himself
-The launch of Space Force, the sixth branch of the military.
-Tax reform
-The bipartisan passing of the First Act law allowing for criminal justice system overhaul helping to address mass incarcaration
-Oversaw the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi
-America entering a state of national debt at its highest levels since WWII
-The near complete erosion of the integrity of the role of President of the United States, the number of documented lies issued by Trump during his one term of office now totalling over 30,500 and coordinating direct attempts at electoral fraud
When the dust settles and the pages of history unfold where will Donald Trump stand in the pantheon of US Presidents?
If Trump is the worst president, what particularly marks him out against the worst of the past and if not who was worse and why?
Twelve months on we arrive here, his final day in office having (despite his claims to the opposite) having definitively lost the Presidential election to a man Trump claimed was inept with dementia and yet also shrewd enough to have elaborately conspired at a national level to steal the result from him. But with the arrival of this final day we finally have the book end on the four year Presidency of Donald Trump, his full official record now available to review, though we can expect many tales and more to emerge from the White House in the coming years as an opposition presidency takes seat and numerous court cases arrive on Trump's door step.
With this four year term now complete we can cast an eye on Trump's accomplishments to decide:
Is Donald Trump the worst President in American history?
It's obviously a key note that this is the question, the question of if he's the best President never really being put forward by anyone in the last four years. But there are three key areas we need to first consider when establishing the criteria for consideration.
Criteria One - The Competition
The ten other US Presidents who are commonly considered for the dubious honour of overseeing America's darkest chapters of office are often:
James Buchanan
America's 15th President in the mid-1800's, Buchanan failed to act over the polarised issue of the time of Slavery. His inaction would pave the way for the Civil War and one of the countries worst recessions.
Franklin Pierce
Buchanan's predecessor, Pierce was also a man of inaction with his few movements mostly focused on limiting the progression of the anti-slavery movement. He also oversaw the unpopular annex of Cuba.
Andrew Johnson
One of the few impeached Presidents, Johnson didn't hold the protocols of office too tightly and so the public didn't take him seriously as a leader. He spent much of his time arguing with Congress.
John Tyler
Tyler abused his power, using it to veto key decisions intended to save America from collapse as he held a troubled sense of what constituted American values. In time his own party kicked him out.
William Henry Harrison
Dying just one month into his term, Harrison set out an agenda that he never saw carried out but his unfulfilled plans would lead America into a constitutional crisis lasting 125 years.
Warren G Harding
Often failed to carry out his Presidential duties because he was busy pursuing his interests in women. He was also a corrupt politician, giving prominent roles to friends with his downward slide only stopped by his own death two years into office.
Chester A Arthur
A popular President at the time, Arthur oversaw huge expansion with the US however his plans were too shortsighted resulting in the country overstretching itself and by the time his term was coming to an end his house of cards collapsed and America fell into the Great Depression.
Herbert Hoover
Hoover inherited the Great Depression just as it hit at the start of his Presidency and as the cornerstone issue at the time Hoover bore the brunt of responsibility and blame for the nations failure to pull out of it as fast as the people needed it to.
Richard Nixon
A popular President at the time, Nixon's term is none the less defined by the Watergate scandal and years of successes washed away with his time ending with his own resignation.
George W Bush
Bush found his early Presidency thrust into an unexpected direction when 9/11 took place and a baying public demanded action and retribution for the attack on their own soil that had devastated New York. The result was the commencement of two wars started under false pretences and with it a sealed reputation.
Criteria Two - In Trump's Favour
The last four years saw Trump carry out a flurry of Executive Orders and initiatives, of those he oversaw the most common successes of his term are considered to be:-Installed roughly 25% of all current lifetime appointed circuit court judges and three Supreme Court judges ensuring his influence will outlast himself
-The launch of Space Force, the sixth branch of the military.
-Tax reform
-The bipartisan passing of the First Act law allowing for criminal justice system overhaul helping to address mass incarcaration
-Oversaw the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi
Criteria Three - Trump's Failures
These four years have also seen Trump criticised for a number of failures including but not limited to:
-Widening the divide in American society whilst being supportive of white supremacist figures
-Tear gassing US citizens for a photo-op
-Devastated America's global image and standing with its political allies whilst attempting to bring its connections closer to its political enemies
-The withdrawal of the Paris Climate accord
-Human rights breaches including the separation of over 5,500 families and keeping children in cages in conditions which has killed at least six
-Destabilising peace efforts in the Middle-East
-The only President in American history to by twice impeached, first on the count of corruption with his involvement in abuse of power with blackmailing the Ukraine and the second for inciting insurrection resulting in the lives of Congress itself being at risk.
-Overseeing and contributing to the highest number of American citizen deaths since the second world war due to his handling of the Coronavirus pandemic.
-The freefall of the US economy that now looks to a very long term and slow recovery following Trumps attempts to take credit for Obama's economic recovery era and his own COVID-era failure to manage the situation resulting in economic disaster.These four years have also seen Trump criticised for a number of failures including but not limited to:
-Widening the divide in American society whilst being supportive of white supremacist figures
-Tear gassing US citizens for a photo-op
-Devastated America's global image and standing with its political allies whilst attempting to bring its connections closer to its political enemies
-The withdrawal of the Paris Climate accord
-Human rights breaches including the separation of over 5,500 families and keeping children in cages in conditions which has killed at least six
-Destabilising peace efforts in the Middle-East
-The only President in American history to by twice impeached, first on the count of corruption with his involvement in abuse of power with blackmailing the Ukraine and the second for inciting insurrection resulting in the lives of Congress itself being at risk.
-Overseeing and contributing to the highest number of American citizen deaths since the second world war due to his handling of the Coronavirus pandemic.
-America entering a state of national debt at its highest levels since WWII
-The near complete erosion of the integrity of the role of President of the United States, the number of documented lies issued by Trump during his one term of office now totalling over 30,500 and coordinating direct attempts at electoral fraud
When the dust settles and the pages of history unfold where will Donald Trump stand in the pantheon of US Presidents?
If Trump is the worst president, what particularly marks him out against the worst of the past and if not who was worse and why?
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