Editor,
In his recent letter Fred Wilferth maintains, as does the entirety of the MAGAverse, that Joe Biden is the worst president in U.S. history. Desiring a more balanced, objective view, I sought out the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey. The survey summarizes the conclusions of some 154 historians and presidential experts, whose professional credibility rests on their objectivity. The report rated Biden in the top third of US presidents, scoring just ahead of Wilson and Reagan.
Rather than President Biden, Mr. Trump comes in last, behind fellow impeachee Andrew Johnson and the perpetual cellar-dweller, James Buchanan. On the survey’s 0-100 scale of “overall greatness” only the top three – Lincoln, FDR and Washington – scored over 90. Biden came in at 62.66, tied with John Adams, and Trump rated a rather sad 10.92, placing him last. I encourage readers to access the survey online.
To further understand Trump’s abysmally low score, I turned to Jonathon Karl who, in his recent book “Tired of Winning,” quotes a top-level official who served inside the West Wing of the Trump White House. The individual prefers to remain anonymous, fearing for the safety of his family. The official noted of Trump that “He lacks any shred of human decency, humility or caring. He is morally bankrupt, breathtakingly dishonest, lethally incompetent and stunningly ignorant of virtually anything related to governing, history, geography, human events or world affairs.” That would explain a great deal.
President Biden, on the other hand, can justifiably be proud of his many achievements, among them the American Rescue Plan, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, which significantly lowered the price of many prescription drugs. Internationally he reinforced our fraying alliances and is responsible for bringing together a coalition which has saved Ukraine from Putin’s bloody aggression. Rather than last, President Biden is among the first third of U.S. presidents and will, I suspect, be remembered as a transformational president.
Bernd J. Fischer
Oak Harbor
