How bad a president was Donald Trump? Donald Trump's presidency is now behind us. But the debate over how bad a president he was has only just begun.
A new Pew poll sheds some light on how Trump's presidency currently ranks -- and the returns are not great for the billionaire businessman. A total of 53% of those polled say that Trump was either a "terrible" (41%) or "poor" (12%) president, while 35% call him either "great" (18%) or "good" (17%).
As you might expect, how you feel about Trump's presidency is largely dependent on the party with which you identify. Almost 9 in 10 Democrats say Trump was a "terrible" (72%) or "poor" (17%) president. More than 6 in 10 Republicans call Trump a "great" (37%) or "good" (36%) president.
While it's a bit early to draw conclusions about Trump's legacy and how history will remember him, this poll is far from the only evidence that suggests that the 45th President may wind up toward the bottom of rankings of the 44 men who have held the office. (Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th president, and these rankings don't yet count President Joe Biden.)
In 2019, Siena College released its latest rankings, the result of the combined views of 159 presidential scholars who rated each of the presidents on 20 different aspects of the job. (The categories range from "integrity" to "willing to take risks" to "luck.") In those rankings, Trump placed third to last -- behind only James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson.
The other major recent study of best (and worst) presidents came in 2018 from Brandon Rottinghaus from the University of Houston and Justin S. Vaughn of Boise State University. (Known as the "Presidents & Executive Politics Presidential Greatness Survey," this one polled 170 members of the American Political Science Association.)
Trump ranked dead last in this survey, trailing Buchanan, William Henry Harrison, Franklin Pierce and Johnson, respectively. Broken out by the relative ideology of the panel, Trump fared little better. Among self-identified conservatives, Trump was ranked as the 40th best president. (Buchanan was conservatives' choice as worst president.) Among moderates and liberals in the survey, Trump was ranked dead last.
Now, it's worth noting that how you are perceived in the immediate aftermath of your presidency is not always how your legacy settles. (George H.W. Bush's time in office is far more favorably regarded now than it was when he lost to Bill Clinton in 1992, for example.)
The Point: Trump has long made clear that he is acutely interested in how he will be remembered. And he will not be happy with the early returns.
-- Chris QUOTE OF THE DAY "Please, this is not politics." -- President Joe Biden, asking states to reinstate their mask mandates. When asked if states should pause their reopening efforts, Biden replied: "Yes." MEANWHILE, IN GEORGIA Georgia's new law restricting voter access has continued to ignite pushback. The firestorm around the new law, which includes banning giving food and water to people waiting to vote, is now spreading.
Already, there are calls for Black players to boycott the Augusta, Georgia-based Masters Golf tournament, according to Fox 5 Atlanta, and union conversations about moving the MLB All-Star Game out of Georgia, as reported by The Boston Globe.
Now, Georgia Democrats are grappling with whether to lean into the boycott efforts, according to the AJC.
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MUSICAL INTERLUDE Pharaoh Sanders! And more Pharaoh Sanders! BUT HER EMAILS? The Supreme Court has weighed in on a lawsuit involving former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's email server.
The court left in place a lower court order blocking the conservative group Judicial Watch from deposing Clinton about her use of a private email account in a lawsuit related to the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Translated: SCOTUS returned the lawsuit to sender.
Clinton's emails were already investigated by Congress, the State Department inspector general and the FBI, and she previously gave written answers in another lawsuit, the appeals court noted last year.
TRIVIA TIME! Question: Who was the first president to establish a presidential library?
a. Teddy Roosevelt b. Abraham Lincoln c. Herbert Hoover d. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Send your answers to cillizza@cnn.com and lauren.dezenski@cnn.com! Test your political trivia prowess with The Point trivia on Chris' Instagram stories. ONE BIG THING 90% The percentage of American adults who will be eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine within the next three weeks, President Biden announced Monday afternoon. You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get The Point in your inbox.
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