Adjectives like best and worst or good and bad are subjective. Every four years, historians gather to release a survey ranking all the presidents in U.S. history. Historians never label the top and bottom of the list as good or bad; they rank presidents based on their achievements, legacy, and historical impact.
Success and failure can also be subjective on the surface, but one of the ways to measure success and failure among presidents is popularity, because the presidency derives its power from the people.
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The American system of governance is set up so that popular presidents have more political capital to get things done. Unpopular presidents struggle to accomplish their agenda because, as the talking heads are fond of saying, the political winds are blowing against them.
Donald Trump has tried to place the presidency above the American people and invert the power dynamic. Instead of the president being responsive to the American people, Trump wants the American people to be responsive to the presidency.
By trying to create what historian Arthur Schlesinger called an imperial presidency, Trump has caused a visceral retaliation by the majority of the American people that has sunk his presidency to historic low points in popular opinion.
The best presidencies set themselves up for success before they assume power. Trump did the opposite and built a presidency that was destined to fail.
Let’s look at some examples of Trump’s failed presidency below.