“The Two Presidents Who Have Caused the Most Harm to America”: Republicans Vote Reagan and Trump as Best Recent Presidents

Michelle HollandNov 12, 2023

Minute Read

While the majority of Democrats consider Barack Obama to be the best president of the past 40 years, Republicans, on the other hand, are split between Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. In a recent study, 41% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents selected Reagan as their favorite leader, whereas 37% preferred Trump.

Obama’s Popularity Among Democrats

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Democrats were far more united in their choice, with 58% opting for Obama as the president who has done the greatest job. Trailing behind were Bill Clinton with 19% and current president Joe Biden with just 7%.

The Full Results

Overall, 32% of Americans said Obama was the best recent president, followed by Reagan (23%), Trump (19%), and Clinton (12%). Biden, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush each got less than 4% of the total vote.

Unchanging Views

There has been little change in Americans’ views since polls were conducted in September 2021, but opinions among Republicans largely vary based on race and ethnicity, age, and other characteristics.

Comparing Voter Demographics

37% of White Republicans picked Trump, compared to 43% of Hispanic Republicans. However, 45% of White Republicans selected Reagan versus just 26% of Hispanic Republicans, whereas 21% of Hispanic Republicans said a Democratic president had done the best job over the last 40 years compared to just 8% of White Republicans. Black and Asian Republican answers were not reported separately due to insufficient sample sizes.

Generational Differences

Around half (51%) of Republicans over 50 advocated for Reagan in contrast with just 29% of those under 50, but numbers were similar for those naming Trump. 19% of Republicans under 50 chose a Democratic president, whereas only 6% over 50 did.

Graduates Prefer Reagan

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Among Republicans with at least a bachelor’s degree, 51% voted for Reagan with just 27% favoring Trump. In those without a completed degree, though, numbers were comparable for Trump and Reagan who gained 41% and 37% of the votes respectively.

Second Best Presidents

Trump fans picked Reagan as the second-best president two-thirds of the time, with 17% saying another Republican and 14% naming a Democrat. Of those whose first choice was Reagan, 55% picked Trump as second-best; 31% chose another Republican and 13% a Democrat.

Responses from Democrats

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Though Obama was the overwhelming favorite among Dems, there were some differences based on age as well as race and ethnicity. 18 to 29-year-olds were particularly big fans, with 68% choosing him compared with 57% of those aged 30 to 49 and 52% over 50.

Racial Divides

64% of Black and Asian Democrats named Obama compared to 56% of White and 51% of Hispanic Democrats. Hispanic Democrats were the most likely to state they preferred a GOP president, with a quarter naming a Republican, including 16% for Reagan and 3% for Trump.

Poll Sparks Polarizing Reception

Responding to articles naming Reagan and Trump the most popular presidents, people online were split. “Wow, the two presidents who have caused the most harm to America, its social fabric, the middle class, and civil rights,” one forum commenter wrote. “Hard to think of two worse presidents since WW2, Bush Jr. is probably the only one as bad as those two. History will judge all 3 of these Republicans as some of the worst presidents in history.”

Republican In Name Only

Others pointed out the major differences between Reagan and Trump, with one poster stating “Reagan would be called a RINO by not just today’s Republicans but also 2008.” Others suggested that Reagan would hate Trump and MAGA largely due to the “pro-Russian sentiment on display so often.”

“A Walking Constitutional Crisis”

One person called Trump “a walking constitutional crisis” due to him being “the first president in recent memory to actively and rhetorically undermine the democratic process” which they felt “knocks him down below even Bush in my opinion.” Many users struggled with the support for Trump given his “stolen election” lies and attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Reagan’s Cult of Personality

“Anyone else tired of Reagan’s cult of personality?” one forum member asked. “Can they at least try and reference another president for once?” In the replies, someone pointed out that “Republicans have slim pickings” due to the Bushes, Ford, and Nixon being out of the question.

Defense of Reagan

One commenter wrote, “I’m saying this as a Democrat, not everything Reagan did was bad. I liked his amnesty toward 5 million migrants and some of his deregulation stances. With Trump, however, nothing he does has been positive for the country.”

Faint Praise for Trump

Some people commended aspects of Trump’s administration, such as certain prison reform laws and Operation Warp Speed, which “sped up the ability to get the vaccine to the public,” despite otherwise condemning his presidency.

The Trump Appeal

Many people probed members to explain why Republicans liked Trump so much. One user speculated it was because “his administration gave Republicans a super majority on the Supreme Court and installed a bunch of biased judges all over the court system.”

Out of Fashion

“It’s weird that unity has gone so far out of fashion. Trump is as divisive as it gets,” someone concluded. In general, the majority of Republican presidents were unpopular on the message board, with people being most complimentary of one-term president George H.W. Bush and Eisenhower, though the latter was not included in the poll.