Bill O'Reilly Reveals America's Five Best and Five Worst Presidents in New Book Confronting the Presidents
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Bill O'Reilly Reveals America's Five Best and Five Worst Presidents in New Book Confronting the Presidents
Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard, authors of 18 number-one bestselling history books, rank America's best and worst presidents in their latest work, Confronting the Presidents. O'Reilly delivers no-spin assessments of every commander-in-chief, asking one fundamental question: Did the president help or hurt the country? From James Buchanan's cowardice before the Civil War to Abraham Lincoln's moral conviction, O'Reilly examines the character flaws and strengths that defined presidential legacies. The book reveals shocking details about drunk presidents, political corruption, and the untold stories behind America's most consequential leaders. O'Reilly argues that times make the man, but moral conviction and courage separate the great from the terrible. His rankings challenge conventional wisdom, placing Joe Biden among the worst and James K. Polk among the best presidents in American history.
A Historian's Mission to Make History Fun and Accessible
Bill O'Reilly has a simple philosophy about writing history: make it engaging while staying truthful. The former high school history teacher from Miami, Florida learned early in his career that students need more than dry facts to stay interested. "I had to break it down and tell them stories, and then they go, 'Oh, that's cool,'" O'Reilly explains. "It's fun to read it. And you learn at the same time." This approach has resulted in 18 number-one bestselling books co-authored with Martin Dugard, including Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, and Killing Reagan.
Their latest book, Confronting the Presidents: No Spin Assessments of All 46 Leaders, represents O'Reilly's most comprehensive historical project yet. The book examines every American president through a single lens: Did they help or hurt the country? O'Reilly's methodology differs from traditional historians who produce massive tomes filled with minutiae. Instead, he focuses on character, decision-making, and moral conviction. "I want you to know the person," O'Reilly says. "Strengths and weaknesses."
The Five Worst Presidents: Cowardice, Corruption, and Incompetence
O'Reilly's ranking of America's worst presidents reveals a pattern of moral failure, weak leadership, and devastating consequences for the nation. At number five sits Franklin Pierce, the 14th president who was pro-slavery despite being from the North. Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which led to violence in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces. He enforced the Fugitive Slave Act and failed to take decisive action on the defining issue of his era.
But Pierce's policy failures weren't his only problem. "He was a big tippler," O'Reilly reveals. "He lost a child and he never recovered. And then he had a nervous breakdown that nobody knew about." Pierce's alcoholism and mental health struggles rendered him incapable of effective leadership. "You cannot do that job if you are impaired," O'Reilly states flatly. "Franklin Pierce was a drunk."
At number four is John Tyler, the first vice president to assume the presidency after William Henry Harrison died just 31 days into his term. Tyler championed states' rights and his own party despised him. "His own party hated him," O'Reilly explains. "Everything he tried to do, they said, 'We're not doing it.'" But Tyler's real failing was his enthusiastic support for slavery. Unlike Thomas Jefferson and other founders who held slaves but were conflicted about it, Tyler "liked it. He was a cheerleader for slavery."
The third worst president is Lyndon Johnson, a ranking that surprises many given his championing of the Civil Rights Act and social reforms. O'Reilly gives Johnson credit for civil rights legislation that "took courage" and required spending "a lot of political capital." Yet Johnson lands on the worst list for two damning reasons. "Number one, he was a crook," O'Reilly states. Johnson and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover used blackmail and intimidation to get what they wanted from politicians. "They had dirt on some people. And they use that against those politicians."
More significantly, Johnson put his own self-interest above American lives in Vietnam. "Eighty percent of the Vietnam War was under Lyndon Johnson," O'Reilly notes. "And he knew it was going bad. But he wouldn't admit it." Johnson told Americans the United States had made a national pledge to help South Vietnam when he knew the war was unwinnable. O'Reilly argues the Vietnam War might never have escalated if JFK hadn't picked Johnson as his running mate for political reasons, particularly to win Texas.
Joe Biden ranks as the second worst president in O'Reilly's assessment, a controversial choice given Biden's recent presidency. O'Reilly sees parallels between himself and Biden: "Bill from Levittown, working class, Roman Catholic, strict father who worked every day. Joe, the same." Despite this commonality, O'Reilly harshly criticizes Biden's record. "Biden created the problems. Most of these other terrible presidents walked into the problem. He created massive problems."
O'Reilly points to three catastrophic failures: the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal that "sent a message to the world: I'm weak"; the border crisis that was "under control" until Biden "blasted it out with nothing to put in its place"; and inflation that rose from 1.5% to devastating levels within two years. "I've never seen a conviction from Joe Biden," O'Reilly says. "I've never seen a reach out to try to heal the country."
But the absolute worst president in American history, according to O'Reilly, is James Buchanan. The Pennsylvania native served immediately before the Civil War, and O'Reilly believes Buchanan's cowardice made the conflict inevitable. "This guy was the worst. He stood for nothing," O'Reilly declares. As Southern states prepared for war—storing arms, organizing military brigades, terrorizing abolitionists—Buchanan did nothing. He refused to send federal troops or reinforce Fort Sumter.
O'Reilly argues the Civil War could have been prevented: "I got a letter from Harry Truman that says if Andrew Jackson had been president before Lincoln instead of these weak guys, there wouldn't have been a war." Jackson would have confronted the Confederates militarily before they gained power. Instead, Buchanan threw parties and enjoyed his wine cellar while the nation careened toward catastrophe. "He was the president. He did not lead. He didn't care," O'Reilly says. "James Buchanan was a coward. He didn't have the guts to do the right thing." O'Reilly's ultimate verdict: "He wins the Triple Crown—venal, cowardly and stupid."
The Five Best Presidents: Vision, Courage, and Moral Conviction
O'Reilly's ranking of the greatest presidents reveals what he values most: moral clarity, courage under pressure, and putting country above self-interest. At number five is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who "saved the country during the Great Depression" and "saved the world" during World War II. FDR faced two existential crises and responded courageously to both.
However, O'Reilly acknowledges FDR's significant flaws. He had affairs, tried to pack the Supreme Court, and "didn't want Congress to tell him anything at all." More seriously, FDR could have stopped the Holocaust by bombing the railroad tracks to concentration camps but refused, listening to advisors who didn't want to divert resources from the war effort. Despite these failures, FDR makes the top five because he created the safety net of social security and unemployment insurance, fundamentally changing the relationship between government and citizens. "For the first time, the federal government said, 'We'll help you.' Before that, you're on your own."
Theodore Roosevelt ranks fourth, earning his place as "the first modern president" who brought unprecedented energy and charisma to the office. Teddy transformed himself from a sickly Harvard student into a boxer, outdoorsman, and eventually the Rough Rider hero of the Spanish-American War. "He brought an unbelievable vitality," O'Reilly explains. "He was larger than life."
Following a series of forgettable presidents like Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison, Teddy became a superstar. "Wherever he went, people mobbed him. Highest energy ever." He pioneered conservation, establishing national parks across America. Despite his wealth and privilege, "he's a fair guy. Not venal. Austere in his social life." Teddy also embraced family life, with his kids adoring him even though daughter Alice "was smoking and smuggling cigarettes and drove Teddy crazy." His vision was clear: "We're the best country in the world."
The third greatest president is James K. Polk, a name most Americans don't know. Polk served only one term as president but accomplished more than most multi-term leaders. "He immediately tells the American people, 'I'm going to do four years. That's it. One term,'" O'Reilly recounts. Polk did this because he knew he was very sick and wouldn't live long.
Polk's singular achievement was doubling the size of the United States. Looking at the map, he envisioned an America stretching from Washington, D.C. to Portland, Oregon, and from Canada to Mexico. "All of this should be ours," Polk believed. He engineered the Mexican-American War, defeated Mexico, and acquired California and the Southwest. "He saw it and he made it happen. That's hard." Polk was also a workaholic with no hobbies or leisure activities. "He worked himself to death," O'Reilly notes. Polk lacked ego and never aggrandized himself, which is why he remains unknown despite his massive impact.
George Washington ranks as the second greatest president for laying the foundation of American government. O'Reilly marvels at the nation's good fortune: "How lucky are we as a country that we got George Washington?" Washington led a ragtag Revolutionary army against the most powerful military on Earth and somehow won. At Valley Forge, facing starvation and desertion, Washington wrote to spies and coordinated intelligence operations that helped turn the tide.
After the war, Washington was essentially coronated as president without a real election. He immediately established federal supremacy over state governments. "We're going to have a federal government that runs the states, but the federal government has the power. We're running the show," Washington declared. He knew the early American population included many problematic characters—"the King of England sent all the convicts over on boats," O'Reilly jokes—and strong central authority was necessary.
Washington's presidency saw incredible economic growth, and he laid the foundation for everything that followed. Remarkably, Washington didn't seek fame or glory. He had a contentious relationship with his own mother, who wrote letters to newspapers claiming "My son George is starving me," which drove Washington crazy. Yet he maintained his dignity and didn't even attend his mother's funeral. "Washington didn't let anything derail him," O'Reilly observes.
Abraham Lincoln: The Greatest President in American History
Abraham Lincoln stands alone as Bill O'Reilly's pick for the greatest president America has ever had. "I can't tell you how much I love Abraham Lincoln," O'Reilly confesses. Lincoln came from nothing—no formal education, no connections, no wealth. He didn't trade favors or engage in the corruption common to his era. "He basically taught himself everything," O'Reilly marvels.
What set Lincoln apart was his moral conviction combined with tactical brilliance. "He had a sense of morality that was off the charts," O'Reilly explains. Lincoln knew he had to preserve the Union and end slavery, two monumentally difficult tasks. "I'm going to have to end slavery. And I know people are going to hate me for it, but I'm going to have to do it." Lincoln managed to accomplish both objectives simultaneously, which O'Reilly considers remarkable given the political dynamics of the era.
Lincoln's philosophy came from the Bible, which he read extensively though he wasn't particularly religious in a conventional sense. "He took out of that book a sense of morality and fairness," O'Reilly says. This moral foundation made Lincoln "relentless in his belief that he was doing the right thing." The hatred directed at Lincoln far exceeded anything modern presidents face, yet "he endured it."
The 1864 election exemplified the vitriol Lincoln faced. Running against General George McClellan, whom Lincoln had fired for incompetence, Lincoln endured vicious attacks. McClellan's campaign warned that Lincoln's reelection would bring "Negro equality" and "ultimate ruin," while McClellan promised "the Union, an honorable, permanent and happy peace." The racism was explicit and intense, yet Lincoln persevered.
"You couldn't derail this guy," O'Reilly says admiringly. Lincoln's persistence in the face of overwhelming opposition, his moral clarity on slavery despite enormous political costs, and his success in preserving the Union during America's darkest hour make him the gold standard for presidential leadership. Lincoln almost committed suicide early in life when a relationship with his soon-to-be wife fell apart, showing his capacity for despair. Yet he overcame personal demons to become the savior of the Union and liberator of the slaves.
The Common Thread: Times Make the Man
When asked what common traits separate great presidents from terrible ones, O'Reilly points to moral conviction and courage. "The most common failure was they didn't have the guts to do the right thing," he says of failed presidents. "They didn't stand up when the right thing was hard." Great presidents put country above self-interest, even when facing enormous pressure.
But O'Reilly also emphasizes that historical circumstances create opportunities for greatness. "The times make the man," he argues. "You must have that moment. The challenges make the man." Washington wouldn't be Washington without the Revolutionary War. Lincoln wouldn't be Lincoln without the Civil War and slavery. FDR wouldn't be FDR without the Great Depression and World War II.
This raises questions about modern presidents and future leaders. Can a president become great without a defining crisis? O'Reilly suggests the answer is no. Presidents who served during relatively peaceful, prosperous times—regardless of their character or abilities—simply don't have opportunities to demonstrate the leadership that earns historical greatness. The inverse is also true: terrible presidents often made crises worse through cowardice, corruption, or incompetence when decisive action could have changed history's course.
Confronting the Presidents offers Americans a fresh perspective on presidential history by focusing on character and consequences rather than partisan politics or academic conventions. O'Reilly's accessible writing style and willingness to deliver blunt assessments make history engaging for readers who might otherwise avoid the subject. Whether you agree with his rankings or not, his fundamental question remains essential for every generation: Did our leaders help or hurt the country? The answer matters because, as O'Reilly demonstrates, presidential decisions echo through generations, shaping the nation we inhabit today.
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