America’s best president? N&O readers say who and why, from Washington to FDR
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Readers submitted varied lists that included Washington, Lincoln and FDR.
- Elon Poll of 1,000 Americans ranks Lincoln first and Obama second.
- Readers cited presidential impact and era differences when choosing favorites.
Hello and welcome to our Under the Dome newsletter. Happy Flag Day! I’m Capitol bureau chief Dawn Vaughan.
Flag Day commemorates the day — June 14, 1777 — when the Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag, according to the Library of Congress. Symbols of our country are top of mind as we approach the United States’ 250th birthday on the Fourth of July.
In last week’s newsletter, I shared Elon Poll results about who Americans rank as the best president in U.S. history, as well as what our state’s top leaders said. I also asked readers to weigh in, and you most certainly have, so I’m sharing many of those reader responses today.
From Franklin D. Roosevelt to Dwight Eisenhower, I heard from a few dozen Under the Dome readers who wanted to share their picks for the best president.
Some of you have more than one favorite. And one thing I noted in your responses is that some readers listed presidents from both parties.
Reader Jane Caulton of Wake Forest told me she favors the presidents who “impacted the trajectory of the country.”
For Caulton, that includes George Washington, because as the first president, “he established the country’s expectations for the office. He strongly renounced the establishment of a monarchy and supported the people’s election of an executive officer.” Her list also includes Abraham Lincoln, FDR and Lyndon Johnson.
On Roosevelt, Caulton said “he led the country through what I think was its second most traumatic period. Understanding that the people’s plight determined the government’s stability, he advocated for policies to help common people. Barely establishing a new direction, he then faced what became the Second World War.”
Reader Richard Chapman wrote: “FDR hands down.” More readers gave reasons they chose FDR, including pulling the country out of the Great Depression, and said that FDR should be on Mount Rushmore rather than his cousin. One reader had both FDR and Teddy Roosevelt on their list.
Reader Barbara Hamlett’s picks, ranked in order first to fifth, are Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump.
Some readers listed them out by time period, with reader Randy Fenninger listing Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and FDR before his lifetime, and Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy and LBJ during his lifetime.
Reader Carl F. Cromwell responded with both FDR and Reagan.
I also received several answers of Lincoln, who is also the top-ranked president based on Elon Poll’s survey of 1,000 Americans, as well as Washington, who was the third choice in the Elon Poll. Obama was second.
Reader John Davis III wrote, “we would not have a country without Washington. And then he voluntarily stepped down.”
Kristin Christensen, a reader in Raleigh, offered this perspective on the question itself of which president is “best.”
“The fact is absolute, no one has or ever will be ‘the best’ president of the United States. Every era has been strikingly different as to the norms of the time, the economy, war and peace, all fluctuating on different scales with laws and moral codes being the stabilizers that hopefully bring matters back to a semblance of normalcy,” she wrote.
Reader Jim Johnson shared lists of both best and worst. He said the question is “timely and important in understanding our 250 history.”
Johnson’s ranking, first to fifth best, are Harry Truman, John Adams, Lincoln, FDR and JFK. His opinion on the worst five are Martin Van Buren, Andrew Johnson, Trump, Zachary Taylor and Woodrow Wilson.
Thanks for reading, and for responding with your choices of the best president. Here’s Elon Poll’s toplines and methodology for its America250 poll.
And my previous coverage:
- Gen Z is more optimistic than Boomers, but less attached to America, poll finds
- Who is the best president in U.S. history? What Americans say
Be sure to stay up to date with our Under the Dome podcast, too. Reach me at dvaughan@newsobserver.com or our entire politics team at dome@newsobserver.com.
This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "America’s best president? N&O readers say who and why, from Washington to FDR."
