Donald Trump Posts Contradictory Presidential Rankings on Truth Social

President Donald Trump published a series of contradictory rankings of U.S. presidents on Truth Social on August 28, 2026. In an initial post, Trump used an altered version of a 1948 LIFE magazine chart by historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. to place himself alone in a category labeled "The Greatest," while relegating figures like Abraham Lincoln and George Washington to a secondary "Great" tier.

Subsequent posts featured conflicting graphics. While one post categorized Woodrow Wilson as "Great," a later graphic labeled Wilson as one of five presidents who "broke America" due to his "bureaucracy." This second list contrasted those who "built America" — including Trump, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Ronald Reagan — against those who "broke it," including Wilson, James Buchanan, Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.

Other rankings categorized Theodore Roosevelt as "Near Great," Bill Clinton as "Average," and Calvin Coolidge as "Below Average." Trump consistently placed Obama, Biden, Carter, Ulysses S. Grant, and Warren Harding in a "Failures" tier. Several presidents, including John F. Kennedy and both Bush presidents, were omitted entirely. These posts contrast with data from the Presidential Greatness Project and Siena College Research Institute, which consistently rank Trump near the bottom of presidential history.