40 months later, Trump clearly among 3 worst presidents ever

Trump's presidency was 2 months old when I wrote this, so you’re citing evidence unavailable to me at the time. (After this, I gave interim assessments of Trump’s presidency here and here.)

Now, with 40 more months of evidence in hand, I concur that for the reasons you cite & more, Trump now ranks among the worst presidents ever. Only Buchanan clearly damaged our country more, though Buchanan inherited a bad situation and made it worse, while Trump inherited a country in enviable shape, then wrecked it almost beyond recognition. In terms of negative impact, Trump vs. Andrew Johnson remains a worthwhile debate. It will take years accurately to assess how deep and lasting were the wounds Trump inflicted on our country and the world.

Incidentally, throughout the 2016 campaign, I frequently warned about Trump’s fascism , mendacity, and intellectual unfitness. Professional demands since 2017 have diminished my essay output, but I hammer Trump on Twitter nearly every day.