Fact check: An annual ranking of US presidents by a committee of 50 top presidential historians was released today.

Verdict: misleading — Trust Score 35/100

The post is misleading because while a survey of presidential historians did rank Donald Trump last, it was conducted in late 2023 and released in February 2024, not 'today' (June 21, 2026). The claim about 'Trump’s second term' is inaccurate as he has only served one term. The number of historians and the unanimity of the ranking are also exaggerated. The claim of Trump being furious about *this specific ranking released today* is unsubstantiated and has been linked to satirical content. refuted by 15 sources.

misleading verification card — Trust Score 35/100
Platform
threads
Source author
mrkb87 — see all fact-checks of this account
Original post
https://www.threads.com/@mrkb87/post/DZ2VKT_DltF?xmt=AQG0SaUIf_xF3deGhndrmr9wuaBwhrx9RyvdgYHAG-ldOpefawuPYB2HDvbJGHQQ3dbhYPg&slof=1
Verified on
June 21, 2026
Verification ID
0gh5K_Ci-tgsDhAg6mWJkQ

Original content reviewed

Platform: THREADS Author: @mrkb87 --- Caption/Description --- BREAKING: Donald Trump is reportedly furious that the annual ranking of US presidents by a committee of 50 top presidential historians was released today, and the committee almost unanimously ranked Trump’s second term as the worst in US history. --- On-Screen Text (OCR) --- Rank, President, Score 1. Abraham Lincoln, 93.87 2. Franklin D. Roosevelt, 90.83 3. George Washington, 90.32 4. Theodore Roosevelt, 78.58 5. Thomas Jefferson, 77.53 6. Harry S. Truman, 75.34 7. Barack Obama, 73.8 8. Dwight D. Eisenhower, 73.73 9. Lyndon B. Johnson, 72.86 10. John F. Kennedy, 68.37 11. James Madison, 67.16 12. Bill Clinton, 66.42 13. John Adams, 62.66 14. Joe Biden, 62.66 15. Woodrow Wilson, 61.8 16. Ronald Reagan, 61.62 17. Ulysses S. Grant, 60.93 18. James Monroe, 60.15 19. George H.W. Bush, 58.54 20. John Quincy Adams, 55.41 21. Andrew Jackson, 54.7 22. Jimmy Carter, 54.26 23. William H. Taft, 51.67 Rank, President, Score 24. William McKinley, 51.23 25. James K. Polk, 49.83 26. Grover Cleveland, 48.31 27. Gerald Ford, 46.09 28. Martin Van Buren, 45.46 29. Rutherford B. Hayes, 41.15 ---VERIFICATION_SUMMARY--- Platform: THREADS Author: @mrkb87 --- Caption/Description --- BREAKING: Donald Trump is reportedly furious that the annual ranking of US presidents by a committee of 50 top presidential historians was released today, and the committee almost unanimously ranked Trump’s second term as the worst in US history. --- Visible Text/Media --- On-screen text shows a partial list of US presidents ranked by score, from Abraham Lincoln (1st with 93.87) down to Rutherford B. Hayes (29th with 41.15). Donald Trump is not visible in the displayed --- Claims to Verify --- 1. An annual ranking of US presidents by a committee of 50 top presidential historians was released today. 2. Donald Trump is reportedly furious about the release of this ranking. 3. The committee almost unanimously ranked Trump’s second term as the wors

Claims analyzed (4)

  1. false: An annual ranking of US presidents by a committee of 50 top presidential historians was released today.
    The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey, which aligns with the image content, was conducted in late 2023 (November 15 to December 31, 2023) and its results were released in February 2024, not on June 21, 2026. Furthermore, the survey involved 154 experts, not '50 top presidential historians'. A fact-check from today's date (June 21, 2026) explicitly refutes the claim of such a ranking being released today.
  2. unverifiable: Donald Trump is reportedly furious about the release of this ranking.
    While Donald Trump's spokesperson reacted negatively to the 2024 ranking, calling the organizers 'Democrat donors', and Trump has expressed anger about other rankings in the past (e.g., in October 2025 about being rated third), there is no direct, verifiable report from June 21, 2026, confirming his fury specifically about *this* ranking being released *today*. A fact-check from today's date states that the claim of Trump being furious about an alleged ranking released today is false and origina
  3. misleading: The committee almost unanimously ranked Trump’s second term as the worst in US history.
    Donald Trump has only served one term as president (2017-2021), so the reference to a 'second term' is incorrect. The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project survey did rank Donald Trump last (45th out of 45 presidents) with a score of 10.92, making him the 'worst in US history' according to this survey. However, the claim of 'almost unanimously' is an exaggeration. While he was ranked last overall, even among conservative or Republican historians, he ranked very low (43rd or 41st) but not universal
  4. false: The on-screen text displays a partial ranking of US presidents with scores, from Abraham Lincoln (93.87) to Rutherford B. Hayes (41.15), but does not include Donald Trump.
    Direct visual inspection of the provided image shows that the on-screen text *does* include Donald Trump, listed as '45. Donald Trump, 10.92' at the bottom right, highlighted in a red box. The image also correctly displays Abraham Lincoln (93.87) and Rutherford B. Hayes (41.15). The scores and the number of experts (154) and the survey date (late 2023) mentioned in the image's accompanying text are consistent with the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey.

Sources consulted (15)

Related verifications

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