My starting question was simple: Is Trump the worst human being who could have been entrusted with the US presidency? Or merely someone in the bottom 10%?
That led to a broader exercise: where would US presidents rank in character and intelligence compared with the general adult population?
The chart places presidents on two axes, expressed as estimated percentiles. A score of 90 means ranking above roughly 90% of adults:
- Governing intelligence (horizontal): judgment, understanding, strategic thinking, and the ability to manage people, institutions, diplomacy, and crises. This includes making sound long-term decisions.
- Moral character (vertical): kindness, empathy, integrity, selflessness, and dedication to the public good, as reflected in public behavior.
Two more dimensions complete the picture:
- Bubble size: historical impact—how much a president changed things, whether for better or worse.
- Color: the overall public-interest outcome, from very good (dark green), through good (teal), mixed (gray), and bad (orange), to very bad (red).
The estimates and judgments are ChatGPT’s, drawing on its broad store of information and web searches prompted by our discussion. They are subjective and open to argument—which is part of the point.
Nixon and Carter illustrate why separating these dimensions is useful: political intelligence and moral character need not go together. And a large bubble is no badge of honor. Changing history and improving it are different achievements.
Appendix: the chart data
| President | Intelligence (X) | Character (Y) | Impact | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson | 82 | 50 | Medium | Bad |
| Harding | 42 | 48 | Low | Bad |
| Coolidge | 65 | 65 | Low | Mixed |
| Hoover | 53 | 78 | Medium | Mixed |
| F. D. Roosevelt | 97 | 86 | Very high | Very good |
| Truman | 91 | 87 | Medium–high | Good |
| Eisenhower | 95 | 88 | Medium–high | Very good |
| Kennedy | 84 | 72 | Medium | Good |
| L. B. Johnson | 91 | 65 | High | Good |
| Nixon | 92 | 25 | High | Bad |
| Ford | 73 | 85 | Low–medium | Good |
| Carter | 69 | 96 | Medium | Good |
| Reagan | 87 | 68 | Very high | Mixed |
| G. H. W. Bush | 94 | 85 | Medium | Very good |
| Clinton | 93 | 70 | High | Mixed |
| G. W. Bush | 64 | 72 | High | Bad |
| Obama | 91 | 90 | High | Good |
| Trump | 48 | 12 | Very high | Very bad |
| Biden | 78 | 86 | Medium–high | Good |
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