34th President · 1953–1961 · Republican
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Ended the Korean War, stayed out of Dien Bien Phu, kept the New Deal, built the Interstate Highways and warned of the military-industrial complex. An underrated model.
OverallA-GPA 3.69
The grades
- SovereigntyDid they put American interests first and keep decisions in American hands?A
- HemisphereDid they guard the Americas against rival powers and threats?B+
- RestraintDid they keep the country out of wars of choice that weakened it?A
- StatecraftDid they use diplomacy, force and alliances skillfully, on American terms?A
- Industry and tradeDid they protect and build American industry?B
- Working AmericansDid ordinary working families do better because of them?B+
- BuildingDid they build things that lasted and push the frontier forward?A+
- NationDid they strengthen a shared American identity and the Union?B+
- CompetenceWere they capable, honest and effective in office?A
On the axes
MarketEconomyPopulist
Free tradeTradeProtectionist
RestraintForeign policyInterventionist
CosmopolitanNationNational
Dark dot: Dwight D. Eisenhower. Red mark: the Monroe Society. Ideological closeness to the Society: 73%.