Yes
I do.
No
I don’t.
President Donald Trump has never been shy about defending his record, and one of his biggest claims is certain to generate debate among Americans.
Trump has described himself as the greatest president in the history of the United States, putting his record up against more than two centuries of American presidents.
It is an enormous claim considering the figures who have occupied the White House. George Washington established many of the traditions surrounding the presidency. Abraham Lincoln led the nation through the Civil War and the destruction of slavery. Franklin D. Roosevelt governed through the Great Depression and most of World War II. Ronald Reagan remains an enormously influential figure within the modern conservative movement.
Trump’s supporters, however, may point to his own record when evaluating his place in history. His presidency has transformed the Republican Party and reshaped American political debate on issues including immigration, trade, foreign policy, energy, the federal government, and the courts.
His critics have a dramatically different assessment, arguing that Trump’s confrontational political style and controversial decisions make such a historical ranking impossible to justify.
Ultimately, determining the “greatest” president is inherently subjective. Presidential historians frequently debate how different leaders should be ranked, and those assessments can change considerably as decades pass and the long-term consequences of presidential decisions become clearer.
Trump has now offered his own assessment of where he belongs in American history. The more interesting question is whether voters share it.