A provocative question posed by one man’s friend has sparked a wider debate about how Donald Trump’s record compares to any American who has ever lived.
The argument began when a friend suggested that Trump was not merely the worst president in American history but possibly the worst American ever to have lived.
Trump holds the distinction of being the first president in history to have been convicted of multiple felonies, a milestone no previous occupant of the White House has ever reached.
He is also the first president to have been found liable for civil fraud, sexual assault, and defamation, adding a civil dimension to an already extraordinary legal record.
Trump was impeached twice by the House of Representatives, another first in American presidential history, compounding a record that no predecessor came close to matching.
He was also the first president to have been criminally indicted for the mishandling of classified government documents and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them.
Most presidents, while in office, at least attempt to project an image of national unity, even when pursuing deeply partisan agendas behind the scenes.
Trump, by contrast, has tweeted about “Dumocrats,” withheld catastrophe relief funds from states that did not vote for him, and openly delighted in deepening cultural divisions across the country.
His public responses to the deaths and illnesses of political rivals have drawn particular attention, including his reaction to the death of former FBI Director and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, about whom Trump said he was “glad he’s dead.”
When former President Joe Biden was reported to be suffering from cancer, Trump told reporters not to feel too sorry for Biden, calling him a “vicious person” rather than offering any conventional sympathy.
Trump has also attracted scrutiny for his warm words about a series of controversial figures, having previously described Jeffrey Epstein as a “terrific guy” and wishing Ghislaine Maxwell “well” following her arrest.
He has spoken admiringly of Vladimir Putin, praising the Russian leader for having “a lot of great charm and great pride,” and once declared that he had “fell in love” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Whether these facts together amount to the worst presidency in history or something even more significant is a question that is now being asked with increasing seriousness across political commentary.