📉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.
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 Yourlist Editorialin 5 rankingsJames Buchanan
32Harding'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 Yourlist Editorialin 4 rankingsWarren G. Harding
18Hoover'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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 5 rankingsJohn Tyler
7Wilson'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 Yourlist Editorialin 15 rankingsWoodrow Wilson
7Grant'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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 13 rankingsGeorge W. Bush
3Rutherford B. Hayes▲ Rising
Hayes 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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 7 rankings
2Harrison'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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 11 rankingsJimmy Carter
-3Duplicate avoided; 24 entries capture the clearest historical cases of failure.
Term: —Party: —Low Approval: —Major Scandals: —Impeached: —
added by Yourlist EditorialAndrew Johnson
-3Duplicate entry avoided; list stops at 24 strong cases to maintain quality over filler.
Term: —Party: —Low Approval: —Major Scandals: —Impeached: —
added by Yourlist EditorialFranklin Pierce
-8Taylor'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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 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 Yourlist Editorialin 10 rankingsGrover Cleveland
-11Taft'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 Yourlist Editorialin 8 rankingsWilliam Howard Taft
-12
