The Dumbest Presidents In US History

Elle Tharp
Updated October 17, 2025 83.0K views 45 items
Ranked By
15.4Kvoters83.3Kvotes
Voting Rules

Vote up the biggest dummies to hold the position of US president.

There are many attributes that may come in handy in landing oneself the top dog position of POTUS. The gift of gab, charisma, an impressive resume, and, of course, intelligence, can all help win an election. But if we simplify down to its nuts and bolts, a political race is essentially a popularity contest (albeit, a biased, electoral-college popularity contest). The smartest candidate doesn't always (often?) win - nor do they necessarily make the best presidents.

While many US presidents boast impressive educational backgrounds and allegedly high IQs - sixth president John Quincy Adams a dark horse with a reported 175 IQ - they've undoubtedly had their embarrassingly slip-ups, ignorant moments, and bafflingly dumb decisions. There was the typically eloquent Barack Obama, remarking on his remaining visits to the 57 states, and Ronald Reagan expressing his surprise that Latin America contained independent countries. One might also consider controversial actions, like George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq or Richard Nixon's involvement in Watergate, to be less-than-wise choices.

So statistics aside, let's let the people decide - based on these presidents track record and time in the Oval Office - who is the dumbest president of all?

Most divisive: Joe Biden
Over 15.4K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Dumbest Presidents In US History
This list is dynamically ranked based on user voting. The order reflects the consensus of our voters and is not influenced by paid placements or editorial bias.
Ranked by
  • Donald J. Trump
    1
    Age: 79
    18,761 votes
    • Birthplace: New York, New York, USA
    • Nationality: United States of America
  • Andrew Johnson
    2
    Dec. at 66 (1808-1875)
    3,763 votes
    • Birthplace: Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
    • Nationality: United States of America
  • George W. Bush
    3
    Age: 79
    9,396 votes
    • Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut, USA
    • Nationality: United States of America
    • Party (if partisan): Republican Party
  • James Buchanan
    4
    Dec. at 77 (1791-1868)
    3,088 votes
    • Birthplace: Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, United States of America
    • Nationality: United States of America
    • Party (if partisan): Democratic Party
  • Millard Fillmore
    5
    Dec. at 74 (1800-1874)
    2,355 votes
    • Birthplace: Moravia, New York, United States of America
    • Nationality: United States of America
    • Party (if partisan): Know Nothing
  • Warren G. Harding
    6
    Dec. at 57 (1865-1923)
    1,935 votes
    • Birthplace: Blooming Grove, Ohio, United States of America
    • Nationality: United States of America