★ ★ ★America First · Est. 2026Founding cohort now forming. Claim a Founder seat
15th President · 1857–1861 · Democratic

James Buchanan

Watched the Union come apart and did nothing to stop it. A consensus pick for the worst president.

OverallD+GPA 1.16

The grades

  1. SovereigntyDid they put American interests first and keep decisions in American hands?
    D
  2. HemisphereDid they guard the Americas against rival powers and threats?
    C
  3. RestraintDid they keep the country out of wars of choice that weakened it?
    C
  4. StatecraftDid they use diplomacy, force and alliances skillfully, on American terms?
    D
  5. Industry and tradeDid they protect and build American industry?
    C-
  6. Working AmericansDid ordinary working families do better because of them?
    D
  7. BuildingDid they build things that lasted and push the frontier forward?
    C-
  8. NationDid they strengthen a shared American identity and the Union?
    F
  9. CompetenceWere they capable, honest and effective in office?
    F

On the axes

MarketEconomyPopulist
Free tradeTradeProtectionist
RestraintForeign policyInterventionist
CosmopolitanNationNational

Dark dot: James Buchanan. Red mark: the Monroe Society. Ideological closeness to the Society: 63%.