What makes a president great?

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch the Fox Nation special 'To Rescue the Constitution.' The special, hosted by Bret Baier, dramatically reveals the life of George Washington, the Founder who did more than perhaps any other individual to secure the future of the United States.

What makes a president great? 

I’ve had occasion to ask that question many times in my daily work on "Special Report," and while writing five presidential biographies. I’m always looking for the hidden gems – the stories that will reveal core character traits and motivations of the men who have served this critical role. We’ve only had 46 presidents in our history; it’s a rare individual who rises to that position. 

It’s an election year, so conversations about what makes a president great are happening all over America. Presidents Day is the perfect time to look for insights, and the nation’s historians have some ideas. 

Abraham Lincoln and George Washington consistently rank as the greatest presidents in surveys from historians. (iStock)

Since 2000, C-SPAN has conducted a survey among presidential historians and experts at the conclusion of every administration, to produce a Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership. There have been four surveys so far, with the latest in 2021, following the Trump administration. 

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All 45 presidents were ranked by 142 historians based on 10 leadership qualities. These were: Public Persuasion, Crisis Leadership, Economic Management, Moral Authority, International Relations, Administrative Skills, Relations with Congress, Vision/Setting an Agenda, Pursued Equal Justice for All, and Performance Within the Context of the Times. 

This isn’t intended to be a scientific review – just the opinion of 142 citizens, who happen to be well-informed. They include some of our most revered historians, whose writings and speeches have brought the lives of our presidents into our living rooms and classrooms. In the latest survey, they selected these as the top five: 

1. Abraham Lincoln
2. George Washington
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt
4.  Theodore Roosevelt
5. Dwight D. Eisenhower

Bret Baier's "To Rescue the Constitution: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment."

"We can all quibble about somebody we think should be ranked higher or lower," said presidential biographer Richard Norton Smith, who was one of the advisers to the project. "But there’s something sustainable going on here." He pointed to the fact that the top four had been consistent throughout the history of the rankings. Eisenhower earned the fifth spot in 2017. 

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The rankings are not designed to anoint particular presidents over others, or to create debates along partisan lines. They are meant to inspire reflection and conversation about the leadership qualities we can look for when choosing a president. That’s a worthy conversation to have any time, but especially in an election year.

In that spirit, let’s briefly consider the top five men.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Lincoln has consistently earned the number one spot, an acknowledgment of his leadership during the nation’s most dangerous period. Lincoln’s entire presidency was defined by war. Lincoln was a great man, but even great men have flaws, and he had to conquer his desire to micromanage the Civil War in order to prevail. He had an "I alone can fix it" complex, not unfamiliar in presidents. Fortunately, he also had the character to acknowledge the need for a military leader outside the presidency. He brought in Ulysses Grant, who turned the tide of the war. 

"To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876," by Bret Baier.

Most significantly, Lincoln always sought common ground. Despite overseeing a nation that was literally split in two, Lincoln never stopped pursuing peace, even if it meant bringing his strongest opponents into his administration – the so-called "team of rivals." 

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In his second inaugural address, toward the end of the war, Lincoln held out a hand of friendship to those he had fought. Rather than seeking vengeance, he offered brotherhood: "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds."

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Washington is a prime example of a man who met the historical moment at every turn. He’d never planned to lead a nation to war. Nor did he have ambitions to lead a nation in peace. But when called upon to serve, he responded every time, and became regarded as the indispensable leader at the birth of our nation. 

He was a man of strong, quiet character – not a showboat like some of his peers. He had a gift for recognizing talent in others, placing both Hamilton and Jefferson in his first Cabinet. He was fearless about setting the mold, knowing that his administration would serve as a blueprint for others. 

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I have often made the point that Washington delivered one of his most important contributions to our democracy in his farewell address. There he warned against reliance on political parties and the dangers of partisanship: 

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"However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterward the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion." 

That is a lesson we can take to heart today. 

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

FDR was distinguished by his vision, power of persuasion, and a tireless performance that met the times he was in. His unrivaled leadership qualities also contained the essence of his flaws. Like Lincoln, he believed he alone could bring the nation and the world to peace. He hid his infirmities, refused to acknowledge his physical weakness, and insisted on running for a fourth term when he was at death’s door. 

"Three Days at the Brink: FDR's Daring Gamble to Win World War II," by Bret Baier.

Of the five top presidents, FDR’s oratory was the most soaring. Even in times of crisis, his powerful words could lift a nation. "This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny," he declared in 1936, and it turned out to be true. For his entire presidency, first during the height of the Great Depression and then in World War II, he shepherded Americans through the crises, inspiring them to acts of sacrifice and bravery they could not have imagined in themselves.

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FDR had a special gift for elevating the scene to reveal its historical importance, to help the public believe that it had a role in creating a better world for future generations. "We have faith that future generations will know here, in the middle of the 20th century, there came a time when men of good will found a way to unite, and produce, and fight to destroy the forces of ignorance, and intolerance, and slavery, and war," he preached in 1943, during the harshest time of the war. He gave them hope and motivated them to action. 

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

 A man of tremendous moral authority, derived from his personal code of honor, Teddy Roosevelt boldly broke into the public sphere on the brink of the 20th century. As president during the first decade, he embraced modernity and set America on a course to become a global superpower. "Speak softly and carry a big stick," he preached as foreign policy. This meant openness to negotiation backed by a strong military apparatus. 

He loved his country and found sheer pleasure in the work. "I have enjoyed life as much as any nine men I know," he once said. The nation wanted to follow this fearless, magnanimous man, who was determined to lead them along new paths, including conservation.

Bret Baier's "Three Days in Moscow: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of the Soviet Empire" was published in 2018.

We have an image of Roosevelt as a cowboy, so it’s surprising to discover that he was a skillful administrator. As he put it, "Any man who has occupied the office of president realizes the incredible amount of administrative work with which the president has to deal even in time of peace. He is of necessity a very busy man, a much-driven man, from whose mind there can never be absent, for many minutes at a time, the consideration of some problem of importance, or of some matter of less importance which yet causes worry and strain."

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

You might say that Dwight Eisenhower was the only non-politician of the group. Prior to his election he had never served in any office – nor did he want to. But Gen. Eisenhower was tremendously popular in the years following World War II. He brought the strength of a military leader and the homespun truths of a Kansas boy to the process, and it was an irresistible combination. 

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Eisenhower once wrote that a quality he had observed in every leader he knew was humility. "I have seen Winston Churchill with humble tears of gratitude on his cheeks as he thanked people for their help to England and the Allied cause. I have never doubted the stories of Washington on his knees at Valley Forge, humbly asking help from a power greater than he." 

"Three Days in January: Dwight Eisenhower's Final Mission" was released in 2017.

Eisenhower embodied humility as well, believing that a leader had as much to gain from those he led as they had to gain from him. He’d learned that from his troops. 

Eisenhower was president during the most dangerous period of the Cold War, and he never stopped trying to make peace with the Soviets. He understood the cost of war, and the catastrophic potential of a nuclear age. He believed it was inevitable that the world would be forced to make a choice – and his words resonate to this day: 

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"When we get to the point, as we one day will, that both sides know that in any outbreak of general hostilities, regardless of the element of surprise, destruction will be both reciprocal and complete, possibly we will have sense enough to meet at the conference table with the understanding that the era of armaments has ended and the human race must conform its actions to this truth or die."

These are just a few examples of presidential leadership. On Presidents Day, I invite everyone to pause and reflect on the qualities you would choose for a great president. Talk to your friends, your family, and especially your children about it. Delve into history and learn about past presidents. And then help write new history for future generations.

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