Fact Check: Did historians rank Trump's second term as the worst in American history?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid criticism of the Trump administration, particularly following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Iran, a rumor began circulating on social media claiming that historians had ranked President Donald Trump’s second term as the worst in American history.
Let us analyze the rumor and fact-check the claim.
Claim: Historians ranked Trump’s second term as worst in US history
According to the viral rumor circulating on X, Trump is reportedly furious because the annual ranking of US presidents by a committee of 50 top presidential historians was released, and the committee allegedly ranked his second term as the worst in US history by an almost unanimous vote.
The post has been reposted several times and has garnered more than 700,000 views as of this writing. Netizens reacting to the post appear to believe the claim is real, while others remain skeptical and question its authenticity.
Fact Check: The claim originated from a satirical account
The claim, however, is false, as there is no such report stating that the president is furious about an alleged ranking by historians.
A Google search using the keywords "annual ranking of US presidents," "committee of presidential historians," and "historians ranked Trump’s second term as the worst in US history" yielded no credible reports from major news outlets.
If the claim were true, it likely would have received widespread media coverage and made headlines. Moreover, the claim originated from a parody account called ‘The Halfway Post,’ which describes itself in its bio as ‘satire.’
According to a fact-check by Grok, “This is satire, not a real news story. The @HalfwayPost account describes itself as ‘Dadaist graffiti news’ and ‘halfway true comedy and satire,’ and it regularly posts exaggerated, fictional stories mocking Trump and current events.”
Trump defends $300B Iran reconstruction plan
Trump defended the commitment to a $300 billion reconstruction plan for Iran on Thursday while also attempting to ease concerns about how the initiative would be funded.
Joined by Vice President JD Vance, Trump emphasized that US taxpayers would not bear the cost of the plan.
Still, the proposal has drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, particularly as concerns about affordability and economic fairness remain central political issues.
The commitment is outlined in the MoU signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The agreement states that the United States, along with regional partners, will develop a mutually agreed-upon plan worth at least $300 billion to support Iran’s reconstruction and economic development.
