Trump wants to top Lincoln, George Washington as 'best US president ever'

US President Donald Trump expressed frustration after being 'ranked the third-best president' behind George Washington and Abraham Lincoln

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) told Senate Republicans that he wants to be remembered as one of America’s greatest presidents, alongside George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

 

Speaking during a lunch event with Senate Republicans, Trump said, “They say you’re the third best president... Third best. And they said, who are the first two? George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. And I got extremely angry at this man."

 

Trump, however, did not specify who has ranked him the third best US president.

 

He added, “It’s going to be very tough to beat Washington and Lincoln. But we’re going to give it a try, right?"

 

 

Trump also highlighted his self-claimed record for stopping wars, saying, “Hey, they didn’t put out eight wars, nine coming. All right. We put out eight wars, and the ninth is coming, believe it or not.”   

 

Trump receives Nixon Foundation’s peace award

 

On the same day, Trump was honoured with the Richard Nixon Foundation’s Architect of Peace Award. Members of former president Nixon’s family, including his daughter Tricia Nixon Cox, presented the award to the president in a ceremony at the White House.

 

White House aide Margo Martin shared photos of the event on social media platform X. The ceremony was closed to the press.

 

Trump also gave Nixon family members a tour of the West Wing colonnade, showing them his Presidential Walk of Fame and a picture of Nixon, who resigned in 1974 amid the Watergate scandal.

 

The Richard Nixon Foundation noted that the award, established in 1995, is given to individuals who reflect Nixon’s “lifelong goal of shaping a more peaceful world".

 

Approval rating shows slight increase

 

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Trump’s approval rating has edged up slightly. The six-day poll, which concluded Monday, found 42 per cent of Americans approve of his performance, up two points from earlier this month, within the poll’s margin of error. His rating has remained between 40 per cent and 44 per cent since early April.

 

The poll also asked Americans who they blame most for the ongoing government shutdown, now in its 21st day and the third-longest in US history. Around 50 per cent blamed Republican congressional leaders, while 43 per cent pointed to top congressional Democrats.

 

The shutdown, which began on October 1, has left hundreds of thousands of US government workers in furlough. Economists say it is a minor drag on overall economic growth, though many Americans are experiencing its effects through flight delays and other disruptions. About one in five respondents said they have been personally impacted, while two in five know someone feeling the financial strain, Reuters reported.

 

(With agency inputs)