Alright. So the whole Ranking U.S. Presidents’ 100 Days thing… it’s kinda like judging a movie by the first 10 minutes.
Sometimes you instantly know it’s gonna be great.
Other times you’re like…
“Wait… why is the main character already yelling at a goose?”
Politics can feel like that.
And the “first 100 days” idea? That actually goes way back to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Dude came in during the Great Depression and basically sprinted into office like someone who just drank three espressos and said, “Alright folks, we’re fixing everything.”
Since then, every president gets judged by those first hundred days. Media, historians, random guys yelling on Facebook… everyone’s got an opinion.
So I started thinking.
What if we actually ranked them?
Not in a super academic way—no charts or boring policy breakdowns. Just a real-person, coffee-shop-style ranking.
Some presidents came out swinging.
Others… kinda tripped on the welcome mat.
Let’s talk about it.
🥇 Tier 1: The “Holy Cow, That Was Fast” Presidents
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Okay, we have to start here.
Because the whole presidential first 100 days thing basically exists because of him.
In 1933 the U.S. economy was… well… let’s just say if it were a car, the engine was on fire and three tires were missing.
Banks collapsing.
Unemployment everywhere.
People scared.
And FDR?
He signed 15 major bills in those first months. Fifteen.
The New Deal programs rolled out like someone opened a policy fire hose.
- Civilian Conservation Corps
- Agricultural Adjustment Act
- Emergency Banking Act
I remember learning about this in school and thinking, “Wait… presidents can move that fast?”
Apparently yes.
Historians almost always put his start at #1, and honestly it’s hard to argue.
Abraham Lincoln
This one’s a little different.
Because Lincoln’s first 100 days were basically:
“Welcome to office… also the country is about to explode.”
The Civil War started just weeks after he took office in 1861.
And suddenly Lincoln wasn’t just a new president — he was a wartime leader dealing with secession, military chaos, and political landmines everywhere.
Not exactly a chill onboarding period.
Imagine starting a new job and your boss says:
“Hey, quick thing. Half the company just quit and declared independence.”
Lincoln held the Union together in those early months, which… yeah… that matters.
🥈 Tier 2: The “Pretty Solid Start” Presidents
Barack Obama
I remember the energy around this one.
2009 felt… huge. Historic. Hopeful.
Also the economy was melting again (apparently we love doing that every few decades).
Obama’s early moves included:
- the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
- major financial system stabilization
- expanding healthcare groundwork
People forget how frantic those months were.
Markets collapsing, housing crisis, layoffs everywhere.
Whether you loved him or hated him, his first 100 days presidents comparison numbers show he passed a lot of legislation quickly.
Plus the international goodwill boost was noticeable.
My buddy Dave actually said at the time:
“Feels like America just rebooted.”
Which… might be overselling it.
But still.
Strong start.
Ronald Reagan
Reagan came into office in 1981 with a clear plan: shrink government, cut taxes, boost military strength.
And he moved quickly.
Major tax cuts.
Economic reforms.
And honestly a pretty dramatic shift in how the federal government approached spending.
Also… there was the assassination attempt early on, which weirdly boosted public sympathy and political momentum.
Wild time.
Reagan’s early months helped define the conservative movement for decades.
Love him or hate him — that’s impact.
🥉 Tier 3: The “Mixed Bag but Interesting” Presidents
John F. Kennedy
Kennedy had charisma for days.
Seriously, the guy looked like he walked straight out of a movie poster.
But his presidential first 100 days included the Bay of Pigs invasion… which was, uh… not great.
Big intelligence failure. Big embarrassment.
But at the same time he launched the Peace Corps, which became one of the most beloved American programs abroad.
So his start was like:
One major foreign policy disaster
One incredibly popular humanitarian initiative
Kind of a weird combo.
Joe Biden
Biden’s first 100 days were very… legislative.
Huge pandemic relief bill.
Massive vaccine rollout.
Economic stimulus.
Honestly, the biggest theme was scale.
Trillions in spending.
And you could almost hear the national conversation split in half.
Half the country:
“Finally, bold action!”
Other half:
“Whoa whoa whoa… slow down.”
Politics, man.
Always spicy.
🤔 Tier 4: The “Uhh… Let’s Revisit That Later” Presidents
Donald Trump
Trump’s first 100 days were… loud.
Travel bans.
Executive orders.
Twitter storms that could wake you up at 3AM like:
“Wait… what did he say now?”
Supporters loved the aggressive action.
Critics said the rollout was chaotic.
And honestly? Both sides kinda had points.
It was one of the most dramatic presidential starts in modern history.
Also one of the most chaotic.
Jimmy Carter
Now here’s where things get interesting.
Carter actually started strong in terms of policy ambition. Energy reforms, ethics changes, government transparency.
But his leadership style… let’s just say it didn’t always translate well in Washington.
A lot of lawmakers felt he tried to micromanage everything.
Which sounds exhausting.
Picture a boss who wants to personally review every spreadsheet cell.
Yeah.
🪑 The Presidents Who Had… Quiet Starts
Some presidents just kinda eased into office.
No big splash.
No giant crisis.
Which is honestly probably healthier for the country… but less exciting for historians.
A few examples include:
- George H. W. Bush
- Gerald Ford
- Calvin Coolidge
Their first 100 days were more like:
“Alright, let’s not break anything.”
Not flashy.
But sometimes stability is underrated.
📺 Where This Whole “100 Days” Obsession Gets Weird
Okay quick rant.
The Ranking U.S. Presidents’ 100 Days thing is useful… but also kinda unfair.
Because some presidents inherit chaos.
Others inherit stability.
Imagine two new CEOs:
CEO #1: Company is bankrupt and on fire
CEO #2: Company is making record profits
Guess which one looks like a hero faster?
Exactly.
Still… humans love rankings.
We rank:
- movies
- pizza toppings
- NFL quarterbacks
- breakfast cereals
So of course we rank presidents too.
A Random Thought I Had at 1AM
What if we judged normal jobs like we judge presidents?
Imagine starting a new job and your boss says:
“Alright, we’ll evaluate your entire career after 100 days.”
Day 3:
You’re still figuring out where the coffee machine is.
Day 92:
You finally understand the company Slack channels.
Performance review arrives.
“Hmm… mixed start.”
See how ridiculous that sounds?
Yet we do this with presidents constantly
My Personal Ranking about Ranking U.S. Presidents’ 100 Days
Alright. If I had to rank the best presidential first 100 days, just based on impact and momentum:
1️⃣ Franklin D. Roosevelt
2️⃣ Abraham Lincoln
3️⃣ Barack Obama
4️⃣ Ronald Reagan
5️⃣ Joe Biden
6️⃣ John F. Kennedy
7️⃣ Donald Trump
8️⃣ Jimmy Carter
Will historians argue with this?
Oh absolutely.
Someone somewhere is already typing a furious Reddit comment.
But that’s the fun of it.
History is messy.
Leadership is messy.
And those first 100 days? They’re just the opening chapter.
Sometimes the book gets way better later.
Sometimes both
If You Want a Fun Rabbit Hole
Two surprisingly entertaining reads about presidents:
- The blog “Presidential History Geek” (deep dives into weird historical details)
- The classic humor site McSweeney’s — which occasionally posts hilarious political satire
