The Worst Thing Every U.S. President Is Known For
VOICE OVER: Tom Aglio
WRITTEN BY: Joshua Garvin
From suppressing revolutions to launching disastrous wars, even the most celebrated presidents have dark chapters in their legacy. Join us as we examine the worst act committed by each U.S. president, from Washington's betrayal of Haiti to Biden's chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal. Every administration has its shameful moments that history cannot—and should not—forget. Our countdown includes Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus, FDR's Japanese internment, Reagan ignoring the AIDS crisis, Nixon's secret bombing of Cambodia, and Trump's role in January 6th. Did we miss any presidential catastrophes? Let us know in the comments below!
- #45: Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the worst act committed by every U.S. president.
- #44: George Washington's Haitian Intervention (1791)
- #43: John Adams' Authoritarian Crackdown (1798)
- #42: The Embargo of Thomas Jefferson (1807)
- #41: Mr. Madison's War (1812)
- #40: Monroe Supports the Missouri Compromise (1820)
- #39: The Corrupt Bargain of John Quincy Adams (1825)
- #38: Jackson's Constitutional Crisis Over Indian Removal Act (1830)
- #37: Martin van Buren (1837)
- #36: William Henry Harrison: Killed By His Own Speech (1841)
- #35: Tyler Annexes Texas (1845)
- #34: The Galphin Affair Sunk Zachary Taylor (1849-50)
- #33: Millard Fillmore Signs the Compromise of 1850 (1850)
- #32: Kansas Bled Thanks To Franklin Pierce (1854)
- #31: Buchanan Threw Up His Hands Over Civil War (1857-61)
- #30: Lincoln Suspended Habeas Corpus (1863)
- #29: Lincoln's Dream of Reconstruction, Destroyed by His Successor (1865-66)
- #28: The Corrupt Administration of Ulysses S. Grant (1869-77)
- #27: Hayes' Corruption Kills Reconstruction (1877)
- #26: Garfield Didn't Put His Money Where His Mouth Was (1881)
- #25: Chester A. Arthur's Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)
- #24: Grover Cleveland: Violent Union Buster (1894)
- #23: An Otherwise Forgettable President's Massacre at Wounded Knee (1890)
- #22: William McKinley's Imperialist America (1898)
- #21: Roosevelt's War Crimes in the Philippines (1901-02)
- #20: Taft's Nicaraguan Intervention (1909-12)
- #19: Wilson's Authoritarian Move (1917-20)
- #18: Harding's Teapot Dome Scandal (1923-29)
- #17: Coolidge's Laissez-faire Economics (1924-28)
- #16: Hoover Bungles a Depression (1928-33)
- #15: FDR Inters Tens of Thousands of Innocent Japanese-Americans (1942)
- #14: Truman Drops the Bomb (1945)
- #13: Eisenhower & Operation Ajax (1953)
- #12: Kennedy & The Bay of Pigs (1961)
- #11: Johnson Pushes The U.S. Into Vietnam (1963-69)
- #10: Nixon Bombs Cambodia & Laos (1969)
- #9: Ford Pardons Nixon (1974)
- #8: Carter & The Iranian Hostages (1979-81)
- #7: Reagan Ignored the AIDS Crisis (1981-89)
- #6: H.W. Bush Invades Panama (1989)
- #5: Clinton's Crime Bill (1994)
- #4: Bush Invades Iraq (2003)
- #3: Obama's Drone War (2011-17)
- #2: January 6th (2021)
- #1: Biden Executes a Disastrous Withdrawal From Afghanistan (2021)
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Tags:
presidential scandals, worst presidential decisions, american history, trail of tears, japanese internment, vietnam war, iraq war, bay of pigs, teapot dome scandal, watergate, civil rights, atomic bomb, afghanistan withdrawal, january 6th, indian removal act, missouri compromise, drone strikes, iran hostage crisis, crime bill, operation ajax, panama invasion, war of 1812, embargo act,