Top 10 Most Overrated U.S. Presidents

Some presidents have legacies that outshine their actual accomplishments. Here they are.

1. Ronald Reagan

   

   Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Prior to his presidency, he served as the 33rd Governor of California from 1967 to 1975 and maintained a career as a Hollywood actor and... read more

   Thank God he's number one on this list. Let's start with the fact that 138 members of his administration were indicted or convicted of crimes. Reaganomics obliterated the middle class. He completely ignored the AIDS crisis, made the war on drugs ten times worse, and is responsible for the worst scandal in American foreign policy history.

   He took credit for an already collapsing Soviet Union and flooded the White House with hyper-conservative, white supremacist, evangelical conspiracy theorists. And the worst part is, we still think he's a great president!

   Finally. A list he actually deserves to be number 1 on. Worst president that we ever had. He believed trees caused pollution. Poor children should eat ketchup for their vegetable. Trickle-down economics. What a sham. He destroyed the middle class. Iran-Contra, for which he took no responsibility. Worst president in modern times.

2. Franklin D. Roosevelt

   

   Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 - April 12, 1945), commonly known by his initials FDR, was an American statesman and the 32nd President of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. A Democrat, he was elected to an unprecedented four terms and led the nation through the... read more

   If I'm not wrong, FDR may have exacerbated the Great Depression by seven years. He also oversaw the internment camps for Japanese Americans, wanted to pack the Supreme Court in his favor (I don't think the Supreme Court should even be partisan to begin with in any way), wanted to confiscate gold to the Federal Reserve, and stayed neutral when the Nazis were clearly committing inhumane aggression until it took Pearl Harbor to get us involved.

   He was generally among our more authoritarian presidents. I never liked his weird relationship with Stalin either. Not a very good president. His World War II leadership was, of course, a big boost - I do not deny that - but to say his authoritarian tendencies were not there is wrong.

3. Donald Trump

   

   Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946, in Queens, New York) is an American businessman, television personality, politician, and the 45th and 47th President of the United States.

   Born and raised in Queens, New York City, Donald J. Trump received an economics degree from the Wharton School of the... read more

   He is not first because the topic is most overrated and not worst president. With the majority of Americans realizing he is the worst President in history, he can only be overrated by the minority of racists.

   This list is for actual presidents, not morons who think they're actual presidents.

   He said Nambia is a country... then he said he meant Narnia. Both aren't countries. He is dumb like my teacher.

4. Barack Obama

   

   Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017, becoming the first African-American to hold the office. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a U.S. Senator from Illinois (2005 to 2008) and as an Illinois state senator... read more

   Barack Obama is not just overrated. He's downright terrible. His Affordable Care Act was a disaster. He killed many innocent people with his obsession with drone warfare, launching strikes every 1.3 weeks! He should be #1. Ronald Reagan and Franklin Delano Roosevelt may have made some mistakes, but Barack Obama is much worse.

   I don't consider him to be "the worst president" of the US, but he is definitely overrated. He's treated like a saint by Democrats just because he "talked nicely," but he skyrocketed the national debt and created many complications with Obamacare.

   Now that Joe Biden is president, I can say that he'll be even worse than Obama due to his diminishing mental capacity.

5. Andrew Jackson

   

   Andrew Jackson was an American statesman who served as the seventh President of the United States from 1829 to 1837.

   He was born near the end of the colonial era, close to the then-unmarked border between North and South Carolina, into a recently immigrated Scots-Irish farming family of relatively... read more

   Jackson did long-term damage to the United States. He made the federal government corrupt for almost 100 years by introducing the spoils system (giving government jobs to his supporters), decentralized the banking system, had an authoritarian disposition, promoted demagogic populism, and had a total disregard for the rule of law (ignoring a Supreme Court ruling). His presidency and legacy were a disaster, not to mention his support for slavery.

   He is so bad. I don't like swearing, and I don't like it when people swear, but he had a parrot named Poll that repeated his swear words! And he swore when he was angry.

   That doesn't necessarily mean he's bad, but I just think that's funny.

6. John F. Kennedy

   

   John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 - November 22, 1963), commonly known as JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from January 1961 until his assassination. His presidency was marked by the Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962), the Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 1961), the signing of... read more

   There is no doubt that he is one of the most popular and well-known Presidents. He was beloved by all the people. You know that he was a womanizer, but still, you can't help but excuse that because you are lured by his charm. Yes, he was handsome! But still, you can't count him as a very great president.

   Throughout his three years, JFK oversaw a shaky economy and the mishandling of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

   He didn't accomplish much. While he might not have had a lot of time to do anything, the legacies of people should be considered based on their actions, not their potential.

7. Woodrow Wilson

   

   Thomas Woodrow Wilson was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th President of the United States from 1913 to 1921. Born in Staunton, Virginia, he spent his early years in Augusta, Georgia, and Columbia, South Carolina. Before his presidency, he served as president of Princeton University... read more

   Woodrow Wilson was a zero-sugar Mussolini. His racial views were egregious, segregating the Federal Government and implementing other general Jim Crow-ish measures. He also screened 'Birth of a Nation' at the White House when the Ku Klux Klan was at its peak.

   During the Palmer Raids, thousands of people were arrested and deported without so much as a warrant. While this followed attempted assassinations, it was complete overkill. Wilson helped establish the APL and CPI with the expressed purpose of monitoring and suppressing dissent, resulting in many Americans being intimidated, harassed, and incarcerated for simple free speech. Then there was the debauchery of the Sedition Act. It became a crime to so much as speak out against the Government, Constitution, Flag, and Military. We can't forget the Espionage Act either.

   Perhaps the worst aspect of Wilson is how his geopolitical policies played out, potentially setting the stage for World War II. He helped set the conditions for the Treaty of Versailles that Hitler later rallied against. He left territorial and economic problems unsolved, which Communists and Fascists capitalized on. His isolationist legacy allowed the rise of totalitarianism in Europe and Asia and allowed them to go unchecked.

   Wilson was a horrid president, to say the least.

8. George Washington

   

   George Washington (February 22, 1732 - December 14, 1799) was the first President of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. He led the Continental Army to victory in the American Revolutionary War and presided over the Constitutional Convention of 1787, helping to shape the U.S. Constitution and... read more

   The only thing this man did right or above average in the war was morale. He had this idealistic view that the war would have a romantic ending in New York, and he could not get over the fact for years that it was not going to happen.

   He was a hubristic man because he preferred fighting in the traditional style in which he was obviously losing. Even when his brilliant generals under him decided he should adopt a war of posts or a Fabian tactic, he was reluctant. He was impressive, however, at Valley Forge, even though he was not exceptional. People regarded him almost as a deity, and this facade gave the militiamen something to believe in. At most, he was a mascot or a cheerleader of a football team.

9. Lyndon B. Johnson

   

   Lyndon Baines Johnson, often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He assumed the presidency following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Johnson is known for his Great Society domestic programs and signing the Civil... read more

   The only good thing he did was the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Then he put us into a war we shouldn't have even been in. Even if you think we should have been in the war, if we were going to go, we should have gone in with overwhelming force. That is the opposite of what he did. His Great Society plans backfired horribly and hindered the growth of the Black community.

   While FDR and especially Truman wanted and achieved federal benefits and aid, this man knowingly opened the floodgates to absolute federal dependence. Too many people abuse every help given to them and still expect more. His tombstone should read, "The taxpayer will pick up the bill."

   Yes, his racial and domestic progress is wonderful, but he's the president who started this snowball turned avalanche we call a debt.

   By the way, Reagan doesn't belong on any overrated list with at least 20 candidates. He did inherit Jimmy Carter's pathetic tenure. But it was more than that - the transparency, the assurance only he could deliver, and the fact that the man won. Winning every single deal was premeditated.

10. Thomas Jefferson

    

    Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Father who authored the Declaration of Independence and served as the third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He died on July 4, 1826, the same day as John Adams, the second president.

    People rate him highly because of the Louisiana Purchase, but this was a matter of luck more than his actions. His embargo was a complete disaster, and he underfunded our navy, with devastating consequences for U.S. influence in the world and performance during the War of 1812. He was also (to use a 20th-century term) basically a tankie for revolutionary France, and a slave owner.

    Most of his policies were disastrous, and even his successes required others to carry the heavy load for him.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Joe Biden

    

    Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 under President Barack Obama and represented Delaware in the... read more

12. ?

    Rutherford B. Hayes

    

    Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. He was also an American congressman and the governor of Ohio. Hayes was a lawyer and a staunch abolitionist who defended runaway slaves in court proceedings.

The Contenders

13. George W. Bush

    

    George Walker Bush is an American politician and businessman born on July 6, 1946. He served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and previously as the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. He is the eldest son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara... read more

    I don't think the man did 9/11 or anything like that, but he and Obama destroyed our image on the world stage and set in the era of populist authoritarian politics. The beginning of it really started with him.

    He lied about Iraq, got rid of Saddam (who was a horrible despot who needed to go regardless, I think) with no plan afterward, and attempted to force liberal democratic values on an area that didn't agree with them. He botched the response to Katrina and was particularly soft on leaders like Vladimir Putin.

    People know he wasn't great, but I have him in the bottom 10 of all time. He started the Iraq War for no reason, failed horribly in response to Katrina, passed the PATRIOT Act which is maybe the worst law ever passed, and started a recession that lasted until the end of his presidency.

14. Bill Clinton

    

    William Jefferson Clinton (born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Before that, he was Governor of Arkansas. As a Democrat aligned with the "New Democrat" centrist movement, he enacted policies reflecting a "Third Way" governance... read more

    Lying under oath aside, Clinton seemed to run out of steam at the end of his presidency. The economy went down, and the federal government was hated more than ever.

    Although his presidency might be too early to judge, the way the public approves of him might be inaccurate.

15. Abraham Lincoln

    

    Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War and succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, bolstering... read more

    Declared martial law without the consent of Congress. He drafted thousands of men to their deaths without consent and seems to get credit for the freeing of slaves, even though he didn't care at all about freeing them.

    Worshipped in the media to condition people into accepting tyrants like Bush and Wilson.

    Lincoln only opposed slavery for military and economic reasons, not because he thought it was morally wrong. He also opposed equal rights for blacks and wanted them deported back to Africa.

16. Theodore Roosevelt

    

    Theodore Roosevelt (October 27, 1858 - January 6, 1919) was an American statesman, author, naturalist, soldier, and reformer who served as the 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he championed trust busting, conservation, and the expansion of federal... read more

    Although he changed how the government handled big business, TR was not the best when it came to actual legislation and solving problems. His greatest achievement might be the Meat Inspection Act, which was spurred by Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle."

17. Jimmy Carter

    

    James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician and author who served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the Carter Center. He is the longest-lived president in U.S. history.

    Awful presidency. He may have had an energy policy, but much of his presidency was dominated by foreign affairs, and he actually escalated the Cold War.

    Carter had huge indecision with the economy, switching his platform several times. He had no real authority or confidence in his presidency.

18. Harry S. Truman

    

    Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 - December 26, 1972) was the 33rd President of the United States and an American politician from the Democratic Party.

    But also, China fell to Mao under his tenure. He fired MacArthur and scapegoated him for his own failures. He also passed the anti-lynching bill, which is not a problem on its own, but because of how mild the punishment was. The fine was $1,000-$5,000 and five years in prison for lynching. That is incredibly mild for actual murder. His handling of Israel-Palestine during Israel's birth and the early conflicts wasn't great.

19. James K. Polk

    

    James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. Prior to his presidency, he served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1835 to 1839 and as Governor of Tennessee from 1839 to 1841. He is noted for overseeing the expansion of the United States through... read more

    It depends on what your opinion of a "good" president is. Polk did get a great amount of land from Mexico. However, he did so forcefully, which was a very poor act of imperialism. Although the ends were good, the means weren't as much.

    Stole Mexican land by starting an unnecessary war. Bottom 10 in my opinion.

20. Calvin Coolidge

    

    John Calvin Coolidge Jr. was an American politician who served as the 30th President of the United States from 1923 to 1929. He was a Republican lawyer from New England, born in Vermont, who advanced through Massachusetts state politics to become governor. Coolidge assumed the presidency upon the death... read more

21. George H. W. Bush

    

    George Herbert Walker Bush (June 12, 1924 - November 30, 2018) was an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Before becoming president, he served as the 43rd Vice President under Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1989. He also held several other major roles... read more

    "Read my lips. No new taxes."

    Taxes are raised.

22. James Madison

    

    James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751 - June 28, 1836) was an American politician, political theorist, Founding Father, and the fourth President of the United States from 1809 to 1817. He's known as the Father of the Constitution for his central role in drafting and promoting the U.S. Constitution and the... read more

23. John Adams

    

    John Adams was born on October 30, 1735, in Quincy, Massachusetts. He served as the second President of the United States from March 4, 1797, to March 4, 1801. He passed away on July 4, 1826, at the age of 90.

    By far the worst of the Founding Father presidents.

24. Grover Cleveland

    

    Stephen Grover Cleveland was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 22nd and 24th President of the United States.

    On January 20th, 2025, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President, joining Cleveland as the only presidents to serve non-consecutive terms.

    Garbage president, and even a worse human being.

25. Ulysses S. Grant

    

    Ulysses S. Grant was an American soldier and statesman who served as Commanding General of the Army and as the 18th President of the United States. He led the Union Army to victory during the American Civil War. Grant served two presidential terms from 1869 to 1877 and played a major role in Reconstruction... read more

26. Richard Nixon

    

    Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. He is the only U.S. president to have resigned from office. Nixon had previously served as the 36th Vice President from 1953 to 1961, and prior to that, as a U.S. Representative and Senator... read more

    Nothing that good really went on during his presidency. He abused the power of his role and didn't have a real exit strategy for Vietnam. Some people believe that Watergate overshadows his accomplishments as president, but there weren't many in the first place.

27. Andrew Johnson

    

    Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He became president after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, having been vice president at the time. Johnson is known for his clashes with Congress during the Reconstruction era and was the first U.S. president... read more