2021 Presidents Day: WPOAT -- the Worst President of All Time

 

OPINION

Seven years ago, I wrote along posting that named Richard Nixon as the worst President of all time. It was so long that I had to split it into Part 1 and Part 2.

After the last four years, on this President's Day I have to revise that. Donald Trump has taken over the top spot as the worst President of all time (WPOAT).

I'm not alone in that feeling.

Trump -- the only president who has been impeached twice -- has been named as the worst president in US history in a new YouGov poll. Asked who they felt was the worst president in history, 46% of those surveyed named Trump. 

(One thing to note: the survey was conducted Feb. 6-9 before the impeachment proceedings in the Senate.)

Much to Trump's chagrin, Barack Obama, the man Trump hated most and sought to undo every accomplishment Obama had during his time in office, was voted the best President of all time.

Nixon was named the worst by only 5% of the respondents. Through the passage of time, I'm sure most of the 1,500 people surveyed had forgotten the havoc Nixon wreaked with the Watergate scandal, which in afterthought, seems inconsequential to Trump's attempt to alter the election results or his kowtowing to Russian President Putin.

The distrust sown by the 1972 break-in of Democrat HQ at Watergate is just a minor blip compared to the 1/6 attempted coup, which caused the death of seven people.

Here's the scary part: Respondents were also asked who they thought was the best president in history. Obama narrowly topped the list on 18%t, followed by 17% who voted for Abraham Lincoln. But then Trump was voted as the best by 13%, making him third in the list ahead of Franklin D Roosevelt and George Washington, the latter whose birthday along with Lincoln's, we celebrate today, Presidents Day, (Feb. 14).

While Nixon left in disgrace in 1974, Trump left still spouting the lies that the election was stolen from him. And his followers still believe him.

His acquittal by virtue of the 43 spineless Republican Senators means the Republican party will remain under his control through the 2024 Presidential elections.

The silver lining from the poll is that 53% were opposed to the idea of rump running for president again. But Trump maintains a firm hold on his cult-like followers. A total of 37% said they would support him if he ran again.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.