In a recent survey of presidential experts, Pres Joe Biden he was ranked significantly higher than the former president Donald Trumprevealing a stark contrast between public opinion and scholarly assessments.
What happened: The third installment of the Presidential Greatness Project was released on Presidents Day. Polling indicates that scholars do not share the same distaste as American voters for both Biden and Trump, the Los Angeles Times reported.
President Biden debuted on the rankings at number 14, placing him in the top third of American presidents. In contrast, Trump maintained his position from six years ago, ranking in last place, even behind historically disastrous presidents like Trump James Buchanan AND Andrea Johnson.
The survey results reveal both stability and change in how scholars evaluate the nation’s most important and controversial political office. Factors such as national transformation, major crises, and presidential expansion traditionally influence these assessments.
Interestingly, the poll also shows a pronounced partisan dynamic, likely in response to the Trump presidency. Biden’s high ranking in the top 15 suggests a powerful anti-Trump factor at work, even though his record does not include the military victories or institutional expansion that typically lead to higher rankings.
Trump’s position at the bottom of the list places him behind not only Buchanan and Johnson, but also similar presidents Franklin Pierce, Warren HardingAND William Henry Harrisondied just 31 days after taking office.
Every contemporary Democratic president has moved up the ranks, while every modern Republican president has moved down in the poll. This suggests a greater emphasis on a president’s political affiliation and adherence to political and institutional norms as a criterion for what makes a president “great” for scholars who study them.
See also: Trump claims that even if he is guilty in the Hush Money case, ‘there is no crime’
Because matter: The Presidential Greatness Project findings come at a time when public opinion polls show a close race between Biden and Trump for the 2024 presidential election. National polls of registered voters show a close race, according to a Benzinga report between the two contenders.
Another article by Benzinga reveals that a recent poll showed a slight advantage for Trump over Biden. However, despite Trump’s lead in these polls, rankings from the Presidential Greatness Project suggest that scholars view Biden’s presidency more favorably.
Furthermore, a Benzinga report indicates that Americans trust Trump more than Biden to manage the US economy, despite months of robust growth. This finding highlights the challenges Biden faces in convincing voters of the effectiveness of his economic policies.
Photo by Leonard Zhukovsky and Trevor Bexon on Shutterstock
Read next: Trump in trouble? The former president’s lead over Biden narrows in new 2024 election poll
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