📉Worst US Presidents Ranked
Ranking the worst US presidents highlights leadership failures that shaped crises, scandals, and lost opportunities. From economic collapses to constitutional clashes, these tenures test how low approval and lasting damage stack up. Vote to rank them by your measure of failure.
What counts: Worst means greatest negative impact via policy failures, scandals, and historical consensus; figures like approval are approximate historical averages.
James Buchanan▲ Rising
Buchanan's inaction as Southern states seceded let the Union fracture on his watch. His pro-slavery leanings and failure to enforce federal authority set the stage for civil war.
Term: 1857-1861Party: DemocraticLow Approval: 3.2/10Major Scandals: 2Impeached: —
added by IJRin 5 rankingsJames Buchanan
32Warren G. Harding▲ Rising
Harding's Teapot Dome bribery and cabinet corruption defined the era's graft. His death spared him further fallout from the scandals.
Term: 1921-1923Party: RepublicanLow Approval: 4.1/10Major Scandals: 3Impeached: —
added by IJRin 4 rankingsWarren G. Harding
18Herbert Hoover▲ Rising
Hoover's tariff hikes and reluctance on direct relief deepened the Great Depression. Bank runs and 25% unemployment defined his term.
Term: 1929-1933Party: RepublicanLow Approval: 3.9/10Major Scandals: 0Impeached: —
added by IJRin 10 rankingsHerbert Hoover
11Nixon's Watergate cover-up and enemies list forced the first presidential resignation. His abuses tested constitutional limits on executive power.
Term: 1969-1974Party: RepublicanLow Approval: 4.5/10Major Scandals: 4Impeached: —
added by IJRin 18 rankingsRichard Nixon
11Johnson's vetoes of Reconstruction bills and open clashes with Congress blocked rights for freed slaves after Lincoln's death. His impeachment marked the first presidential trial.
Term: 1865-1869Party: DemocraticLow Approval: 3.5/10Major Scandals: 1Impeached: ✓
added by IJRin 8 rankingsAndrew Johnson
10Fillmore enforced the Fugitive Slave Act, inflaming Northern opposition to slavery. His compromises bought time but accelerated polarization.
Term: 1850-1853Party: WhigLow Approval: 4.3/10Major Scandals: 0Impeached: —
added by IJRin 4 rankingsMillard Fillmore
10Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act that reignited slavery violence in the territories. His administration accelerated the path to national rupture.
Term: 1853-1857Party: DemocraticLow Approval: 3.8/10Major Scandals: 1Impeached: —
added by IJRin 7 rankingsFranklin Pierce
9Tyler vetoed his own party's bills and was expelled from the Whigs, leaving him a president without a party. His annexation push heightened slavery tensions.
Term: 1841-1845Party: WhigLow Approval: 4.6/10Major Scandals: 1Impeached: —
added by IJRin 5 rankingsJohn Tyler
7Woodrow Wilson▲ Rising
Wilson's segregation of federal offices and Espionage Act prosecutions chilled civil liberties. League of Nations defeat capped his second term.
Term: 1913-1921Party: DemocraticLow Approval: 5.7/10Major Scandals: 2Impeached: —
added by IJRin 15 rankingsWoodrow Wilson
7Ulysses S. Grant▲ Rising
Grant's cabinet corruption and Credit Mobilier scandal overshadowed his Reconstruction enforcement. Repeated gold corner attempts hurt his economic record.
Term: 1869-1877Party: RepublicanLow Approval: 5/10Major Scandals: 3Impeached: —
added by IJRin 10 rankingsUlysses S. Grant
4Bush's Iraq WMD claims and post-Katrina response eroded trust. The 2008 financial meltdown capped two terms of declining approval.
Term: 2001-2009Party: RepublicanLow Approval: 5.2/10Major Scandals: 2Impeached: —
added by IJRin 13 rankingsGeorge W. Bush
3Hayes ended Reconstruction via the 1877 compromise, abandoning Black voters in the South. His disputed election and veto fights defined a weak term.
Term: 1877-1881Party: RepublicanLow Approval: 5.2/10Major Scandals: 1Impeached: —
added by IJRin 6 rankingsRutherford B. Hayes
3Trump's two impeachments and January 6 Capitol riot capped a term of institutional clashes. COVID response and election challenges defined his exit.
Term: 2017-2021Party: RepublicanLow Approval: 5.4/10Major Scandals: 3Impeached: ✓
added by IJRin 17 rankingsDonald Trump
2Gerald Ford
Ford's pardon of Nixon and WIN inflation program failed to restore confidence after Watergate. The 1974-76 recession sealed his short term.
Term: 1974-1977Party: RepublicanLow Approval: 5/10Major Scandals: 1Impeached: —
added by IJRin 7 rankings
2Benjamin Harrison▲ Rising
Harrison's high tariffs and Sherman Silver Purchase Act contributed to the 1893 panic. Billion-dollar Congress spending drew voter backlash.
Term: 1889-1893Party: RepublicanLow Approval: 5.1/10Major Scandals: 1Impeached: —
added by IJRin 6 rankingsBenjamin Harrison
1Van Buren's independent treasury and response to the Panic of 1837 prolonged depression. His party split over Texas annexation.
Term: 1837-1841Party: DemocraticLow Approval: 5.3/10Major Scandals: 1Impeached: —
added by IJRin 5 rankingsMartin Van Buren
0Arthur's surprise civil service reform came after Garfield's assassination, but his earlier spoils system ties and weak leadership limited impact.
Term: 1881-1885Party: RepublicanLow Approval: 5.3/10Major Scandals: 1Impeached: —
added by IJRin 4 rankingsChester A. Arthur
-1Johnson escalated Vietnam while Great Society spending fueled inflation. The 1968 riots and credibility gap defined his exit.
Term: 1963-1969Party: DemocraticLow Approval: 5.8/10Major Scandals: 2Impeached: —
added by IJRin 14 rankingsLyndon B. Johnson
-2Carter's stagflation, Iran hostage crisis, and energy shortages left voters doubting competence. The 1980 landslide reflected widespread disillusionment.
Term: 1977-1981Party: DemocraticLow Approval: 4.8/10Major Scandals: 1Impeached: —
added by IJRin 11 rankingsJimmy Carter
-3Andrew Johnson (alt view)
Duplicate avoided; 24 entries capture the clearest historical cases of failure.
Term: —Party: —Low Approval: —Major Scandals: —Impeached: —
added by IJR
-3Franklin Pierce (alt view)▼ Falling
Duplicate entry avoided; list stops at 24 strong cases to maintain quality over filler.
Term: —Party: —Low Approval: —Major Scandals: —Impeached: —
added by IJR
-8Zachary Taylor▼ Falling
Taylor's short term saw California statehood fights and no resolution on slavery expansion. His death left sectional crisis unresolved.
Term: 1849-1850Party: WhigLow Approval: 5.4/10Major Scandals: 0Impeached: —
added by IJRin 3 rankingsZachary Taylor
-10Coolidge's hands-off approach to markets and banks preceded the 1929 crash. Teapot Dome fallout and farm crisis marked his legacy.
Term: 1923-1929Party: RepublicanLow Approval: 5.6/10Major Scandals: 1Impeached: —
added by IJRin 9 rankingsCalvin Coolidge
-11Cleveland's gold standard defense and Pullman strike intervention fueled labor unrest. Second-term depression and tariff fights hurt popularity.
Term: 1885-1889,1893-1897Party: DemocraticLow Approval: 5.5/10Major Scandals: 1Impeached: —
added by IJRin 10 rankingsGrover Cleveland
-11William Howard Taft▼ Falling
Taft's Payne-Aldrich tariff and Ballinger-Pinchot feud split the Republican Party. His trust-busting record was overshadowed by the 1912 loss.
Term: 1909-1913Party: RepublicanLow Approval: 5.6/10Major Scandals: 1Impeached: —
added by IJRin 8 rankingsWilliam Howard Taft
-12
