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Reagan, Clinton “Greatest” U.S. Presidents
(Angus Reid Consultants - CPOD Global Scan) - Americans rank a Republican as their best head of government, according to a poll by Gallup released by CNN and USA Today. 20 per cent of respondents believe Ronald Reagan is the greatest United States president.
Reagan—who governed from 1981 to 1989—had been an actor prior to his victory in the 1966 California gubernatorial election. During his two terms in office, Reagan endeavoured to reduce government spending and to lower taxes during a time of high unemployment and inflation in the U.S.
While credited for launching several anti-drug campaigns, the president was also criticized for failing to acknowledge the HIV-AIDS epidemic.
Reagan died in June 2004 at the age of 93. President George W. Bush paid tribute to the former head of state, saying he "leaves behind a nation he restored and a world he helped save."
Bill Clinton, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy were next on the list, followed by George W. Bush, George Washington, Jimmy Carter, Harry S. Truman, Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson. The three least popular presidents mentioned on the survey were George H. Bush, Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon.
Polling Data
Whom do you regard as the greatest United States president?
Feb. 2005 | Nov. 2003 | |
Ronald Reagan | 20% | 13% |
Bill Clinton | 15% | 9% |
Abraham Lincoln | 14% | 17% |
Franklin D. Roosevelt | 12% | 11% |
John F. Kennedy | 12% | 17% |
George W. Bush | 5% | 3% |
George Washington | 5% | 7% |
Jimmy Carter | 3% | 3% |
Harry S. Truman | 2% | 3% |
Theodore Roosevelt | 2% | 3% |
Thomas Jefferson | 2% | 3% |
George H. Bush | 1% | 2% |
Dwight Eisenhower | 1% | 2% |
Richard Nixon | 1% | 1% |
Other | 1% | 2% |
No opinion | 3% | 4% |
Source: Gallup / CNN / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,008 American adults, conducted from Feb. 7 to Feb. 10, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.