The 10 Worst U.S. Presidents
After leaving the White House, not all US presidents are remembered. Here a list of the worst presidents in the history of the US Presidency according to USNEWS:
1. James Buchanan
Born: April 23, 1791
Died: June 1, 1868
Presidential Term: March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861
Vice President: John Breckinridge
He declined to oppose the spread of slavery or the emergence of the Confederacy as a growing bloc of states.
2. Donald Trump
Born: June 14, 1946
Presidential Term: Jan. 20, 2017 – Jan 20, 2021
Vice President: Mike Pence
Trump is the only living president to be named among the top ten worst presidents in history, as well as the only one to be impeached twice.
3. Andrew Johnson
Born: Dec. 29, 1808
Died: July 31, 1875
Presidential Term: April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869
Vice President: None
After opposing Reconstruction proposals such as the 14th Amendment, Johnson avoided impeachment.
4. Franklin Pierce
Born: Nov. 23, 1804
Died: Oct. 8, 1869
Presidential Term: March 4, 1853 – March 4, 1857
Vice President: William R. King
Pierce’s zeal for expanding the country’s borders, which resulted in the addition of additional slave states, helped to lay the stage for the Civil War.
5. William Henry Harrison
Born: Feb. 9, 1773
Died: April 4, 1841
Presidential Term: March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841
Vice President: John Tyler
He succumbed to illness after giving the longest inaugural address in US history, making his 30-day president the shortest in US history.
6. Warren G. Harding
Born: Nov. 2, 1865
Died: Aug. 2, 1923
Presidential Term: March 4, 1921 – Aug. 2, 1923
Vice President: Calvin Coolidge
Harding was an enthusiastic golfer and poker player whose presidency is primarily noted for its string of scandals and corruption.
7 (tie). Millard Fillmore
Born: Jan. 7, 1800
Died: March 8, 1874
Presidential Term: July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1853
Vice President: None
He supported the 1850 Compromise, which postponed Southern secession by allowing slavery to expand.
7. (tie). John Tyler
Born: March 29, 1790
Died: Jan. 18, 1862
Presidential Term: April 4, 1841 – March 4, 1845
Vice President: None
He was a staunch supporter of slavery who, after being elected president, abandoned his party’s ideology.
9. Herbert Hoover
Born: Aug. 10, 1874
Died: Oct. 20, 1964
Presidential Term: March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933
Vice President: Charles Curtis
Hoover was a lousy communicator who exacerbated the Great Depression by fueling trade conflicts.
10. Zachary Taylor
Born: Nov. 24, 1784
Died: July 9, 1850
Presidential Term: March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850
Vice President: Millard Fillmore
Taylor’s brief reign ended in 1850 when he became ill after enjoying the Fourth of July celebration, making him one of only eight presidents to die in office.
