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As Mac Booker's answer noted, it is too soon to say for sure, since President Obama is still in office. However, that answer was written 2.5 years ago. Now that President Obama has completed his first term, we have enough information for a preliminary judgment, reserving the right to revise it later. At this point, I would say: Yes, Barack Obama is a better President than George W. Bush.There are many areas on which to judge so I will try to be as concise as possible. Some areas do not have enough contrast to draw distinctions and judge one as clearly better than the other, so I've excluded those. The following categories are clear enough that we can make a brief assessment.Disaster Response:Bush was widely criticized for his response to Hurricane Katrina;Obama was widely praised for his response to Hurricane Sandy.President Bush flying over the devastation caused by Hurricane KatrinaTerrorism:Major attack under Bush; none under Obama.Bin Laden remained at large under Bush; killed under Obama.Iraq War:Bush started and incompetently prosecuted an unnecessary war;Obama concluded the war as quickly as possible.In 2003, President Bush announced that the U.S. and its allies "have prevailed" in Iraq; more than 4,000 additional Americans were killed in Iraq in the ensuing years.Afghanistan War:Bush's response was slow, under-resourced, and unfocused; Obama renewed the focus and is in the process of ending it.Economy:Bush left office with the economy in free-fall; Obama entered office at that time and turned it around. First by slowing the job losses from a peak of ~800,000 per month, then by adding new private sector jobs month after month for years.At the time Bush left office, the auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Obama orchestrated its rescue, returning it to profitability. It is now thriving.[9]The stock market has also fared much better under Obama [1]:G.W. Bush - negative 3.5 percent annuallyObama - positive 20.1 percent annuallyIn Bush's first term, the S&P 500 went down 18%. In his 2nd term, it went down 31%. In Obama's first term up until 5 months ago when the source article was printed, the S&P is up 62%. [2] At the time of this post, the market is not just in good shape -- it's booming.[8](Update: The S&P 500 is up "120 percent since March 2009") [11]In case anyone wants to point out that the stock market does not always reflect the real economy, corporate profits are "the highest on record" under Obama. [10]Deficit:Bush inherited a surplus and left a giant deficit.Obama inherited a giant deficit and is shrinking it, though very slowly.Health Care:Bush signed a Prescription Drug Plan for Medicare, though it left a large gap in coverage and it greatly increased the deficit. Obama closed that gap in coverage and did so while decreasing the deficit.Bush allowed a popular children's health insurance program to expire, Obama got it reinstated, covering 4 million children that were without health insurance.Bush did little else to address the health care problem. For example, he did not address pre-existing condition discrimination.Obama passed major reforms through landmark legislation (the Affordable Care Act) which includes the following major achievements:banned pre-existing condition discriminationextended the life of medicareexpanded medicaid accessended insurance recision (retroactively canceling your insurance after you get sick)limited what insurance companies can waste on non-healthcare expensesended lifetime coverage capsreduced the deficit in the processFinancial Reform:Bush signed legislation that made if more difficult for people to get bankruptcy protection. He also signed Sarbanes-Oxley after the Enron/Worldcom/Tyco debacles.Obama signed Dodd-Frank, which includes stricter capital requirements for large banks, requires large banks provide “living wills” to avoid chaotic bankruptcies, and most importantly limits their ability to trade with customers’ money for their own profit. It also created the extremely popular Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The reform is far from perfect but a big step in the right direction.Obama also passed a significant credit card reform and a significant student loan reform. The former prohibits credit card companies from raising rates without advance notification, mandates a grace period on interest rate increases, and strictly limits overdraft and other fees. The latter cut bank subsidies and redirected them directly toward the students, cutting the unnecessary middle-men and saving tens of billions of dollars.Any one of these three Obama reforms is arguably as good or better than Bush's actions, but all three together easily support Obama being the better president in this area.Nuclear Proliferation:Bush presided over Libya's WMD disarmament, but he did not really address nuclear proliferation in any other way, unless you count the Iraq misadventure.Obama hosted a major world conference that produced an agreement. He also secured loose nuclear material in several countries and signed a major treaty with Russia that reduces nuclear weapons.President Obama and Russian President Medvedev signing a major nuclear arms reduction treaty.Also, North Korea did not have any nuclear weapons when Bush took office but did when he left. No new countries or rogue states are known to have nuclear weapons since Obama took office.Overthrowing Dictators / LibyaObama successfully aided in the overthrow of a dictator (Khaddafi) without using ground forces or losing a single American life during their revolution. Bush did not have this opportunity in Libya, though thousands of American lives were lost as a result of his overthrowing of the dictator in Iraq (Hussein).Stature in the World:According to Pew world opinion polls, the rest of the world holds President Obama and America in much greater esteem than they did under President Bush [3&4].From 2008 to 2011, favorable opinion toward the United States rose in ten of fifteen countries surveyed by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, with an average increase of 26 percent. [3&4]Immigration:Neither has passed any comprehensive measures to address the problem, though Obama still has four years to do so and has called it a priority for his second term.After Obama won strong majorities of Hispanic voters in the 2012 election, the GOP is finally back at the table to consider comprehensive reform. One of the obstacles typically raised by reform opponents is that the border must be better enforced before anything else can be done. There's a strong case to be made that Obama has achieved that.On the enforcement side, Obama has more "boots on the ground" protecting the border than ever before.Obama has also deported more illegal immigrants than Bush, a record number. The NY Times reports that "for the first time in at least two decades, the population of illegal immigrants from Mexico living in this country significantly decreased," according a report by Pew Hispanic Center. [12] Mexican Immigration to U.S. Slowed Significantly, Report SaysIn fact, President Obama has accomplished nearly all of the additional enforcement measures that were proposed but not carried out before he took office:The 2007 bill proposed to erect 300 miles of vehicle barriers, 370 miles of fencing, 105 radar and camera towers, and four drones; by 2012, we completed 651 miles of vehicle fencing—including 352 miles of pedestrian fencing and 299 vehicle barriers—300 towers, and nine drones, according to Customs and Border Patrol.The 2007 bill asked for the resources for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain up to 31,500 people per day; ICE now has funding to detain up to 34,000 individuals at any time, per FY 2012 appropriations.[13]Progress is being made on a comprehensive solution, but in the meantime, President Obama has taken some executive actions to partially implement the DREAM Act, actions that were not taken under Bush.Therefore, while there seems to be a stronger possibility of comprehensive reform than we've had in decades, even if that were to fail, Obama has accomplished more on the immigration issue than Bush.Civil Rights / Gay and Women's Issues:Bush did not address don't ask-don't tell; Obama ended it.Bush did not address discrimination against women in the workplace, Obama passed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act as the first bill he signed.Bush appointed two white, male, extremely conservative Supreme Court Justices who have limited civil rights on several occasions. Obama appointed two female Justices, including the first hispanic justice.Bush Supreme Court appointees, Justice Alito and Chief Justice RobertsObama Supreme Court appointees, Justices Kagan and SotomayorAlmost half of Obama's judicial appointments have been women, twice as many as Bush's. 19% of Obama's judicial appointments have been black, versus Bush's 7%. [6]This is less measurable, but Obama is in favor marriage equality rights for gays and Bush supported a constitutional amendment banning those rights.Judicial ImpactThis will be much more subjective but Bush's nominees to the Federal Bench have produced some very extreme decisions. While the disastrous Citizens United decision and the torrent of unaccountable, unlimited special interest money it unleashed into our campaigns is now well known, there are many other lesser known consequences of his appointments:The Supreme Court’s five conservatives trashed consumers’ ability to stand up to rapacious corporations. They greenlighted laws intended primarily to suppress minority, low-income, and student voters. They thumbed their nose at women’s right to equal pay for equal work. [5]Bush's justices have also voted to:enable businesses to force their workers and consumers into a privatized arbitration system that overwhelmingly favors corporate parties, or similar decisions eviscerating consumers’ ability to join together and fight powerful corporations via class actions. [5]President Obama's judicial legacy is incomplete but his appointments have generally taken opposing positions to the above decisions when they were in a position to do so. Whether you consider Bush or Obama better in this area of course depends on your position on the above. I would say Obama has made much better choices, though he has not nominated enough or fought hard enough to overcome the other side's obstruction [5, 6]Scandals:The importance of these scandals is certainly a matter of opinion, but I would argue that the Bush administration had many, many, major scandals (really too many to list) and that the Obama administration has not had any.The other side may argue that Solyndra, Benghazi or "Fast and Furious" qualify, and these are highly debatable, but they hardly compare to the sheer number of lives lost, lies, cover-ups, crony chicanery, and other ethical lapses that were a regular occurrence in the Bush years. WMD is one everyone remembers, but there were so many more. No one in the Obama administration has ever fired U.S. Attorneys for political reasons, exposed covert CIA operatives for political reasons, bribed journalists, traded drugs and sex with lobbyists, or misplaced billions upon billions of dollars, but all this and many more happened under Bush. The other side can try to point to minor and/or manufactured ones of the last few years, but it's just not on the same level. You can fill volumes with Bush scandals without ever mentioning them hiring a former male escort to lob softball questions in the pressroom or even his VP shooting someone in the face. Only the most serious, truly shameful, unquestionably legitimate Bush scandals need be mentioned and there are still orders of magnitude more than anything Obama's detractors could come up with.There were so many that 4 years into Bush's term and still with some of the biggest scandals yet to come, it was said that the public had “scandal fatigue.”Bush administration scandals20 Forgotten Bush ScandalsThe scandal sheetCategory:George W. Bush administration controversiesMany Questions Left in Bush ScandalsConclusionThere are many ways you can take issue with the above, it is not meant to be comprehensive and certainly includes some subjective judgments. In every category above, President Obama's performance easily outshines that of President Bush. For these reasons and others, I would argue President Obama is already a better President than G.W. Bush, and it isn't close.It would take a pretty radical shift for this assessment to change, such as allowing a major terrorist attack, starting and incompetently prosecuting an unnecessary war, abandoning a major American city in distress, and crashing the economy.Obama is only halfway through with his time in office and already his legislative achievements rival those of virtually any president, as does his foreign policy effectiveness. To compare him side-by-side with George W. Bush, who is presently ranked by scholars as among the worst presidents [7], is not really a contest. Obama is the better president.Footnotes[1] CBS Moneywatch article, Sept 21, 2011http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-37744468/stocks---bush-vs-obama/[2] Charting Presidential Stock Performance from Carter to ObamaAnother source: Stock Market up 68% under Obama[3] Global Public Opinion in the Bush Years (2001-2008)[4] http://pewresearch.org/world-opinion-map/[5] The Judicial Bush Doctrine[6] http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/07/why-judges-matter.html[7] Historical rankings of Presidents of the United States"A 2010 Siena College poll of 238 Presidential scholars found that Bush was ranked 39th out of 43"[8] Yes, the stock market is booming. No, it isn’t a bubble.[9] GM Earns Its Highest Profit Ever at $7.6 Billion; Will it Help Obama’s Re-election Prospects?[10] U.S. Corporate Profits Hit Record in Third Quarterhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/business/economy/24econ.html[11] Stocks Near New Heights as Small Investors Regain Faith[12] Mexican Immigration to U.S. Slowed Significantly, Report Says[13] Want tighter border security? You’re already getting it.

When Trump boasted that his IQ was higher than Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's, it was part of a pattern. In 2013, he tweeted that his IQ was "much higher" than Barack Obama and George W Bush. He has also claimed a higher IQ than comedian Jon Stewart. This is a guy who seems obsessed with IQ…. what psychologists might rightly call “illusory superiority,” a condition of cognitive bias wherein a person overestimates their own qualities and abilities, in relation to that of others…..or what we might call wishful thinking.Trump has never revealed his own IQ. So can we work it out? Well, it’s not as impossible as it looks, here is a review of what we do know, all of it quite revealing and refection of a person’s intelligence. After all, isn't the real issue not an abstract IQ number, but how we leverage our intelligence to interact, socialize, learn and maneuver through the ups and downs that life throws at us?So let's take a look at the evidence readily available in regard to both men.Trump is a guy who doesn't read, has no interest in any type of intellectual pursuits of any kind and was rated as really dumb by one of his Profs;"William T. Kelley, who taught Trump at the University of Pennsylvania, said, “Donald Trump was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had.”Source: Chicago Tribune “Donald Trump's biggest flaw: He's not that bright” https://www.chicagotribune.com/n...“Trump transferred into Wharton’s undergraduate program — then known as the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce — after spending two years at Fordham University in New York. Despite Trump’s repeated mention of Wharton, his own classmates hardly remember him, and he even describes the school’s high-flung reputation as overwrought in his 1986 book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal.”In a 1985 biography of Trump, Jerome Tuccille wrote that he was not an honor student and “spent a lot of time on outside business activities.”Another biographer, Gwenda Blair, wrote in 2001 that Trump was admitted to Wharton on a special favor from a “friendly” admissions officer. The officer had known Trump’s older brother, Freddy.Source: Trump flaunts Wharton degree, but his college years remain a mystery. The Daily Pennsylvanian; Trump flaunts Wharton degree, but his college years remain a mysteryTony Schwartz, the ghostwriter of “The Art of the Deal,” ( you really didn’t think Trump wrote this did you?) said Trump had “a stunning level of superficial knowledge and plain ignorance.”Source: https://bluenationreview.com/don...This is not a smart person. By the way, one of the markers of intelligent people is their vocabulary. One psychologist who tests students rated Trump’s vocabulary at the grade 6 or 7 level, virtually spot on to General Jim Mattis’ assessment.Source: Donald Trump speaks at the level of an 8-year-old, analysis findsSource: https://bluenationreview.com/don...David Cay Johnston, a financial reporter, and someone who knows Trump intimately, having literally followed and reported on Trump and his career for decades, had this to say after scoring an interview with Trump, at a time when Trump was planning to enter the casino business. Johnston said he was stunned by Trump’s lack of business acumen and stated: “Trump couldn’t answer basic business questions that a first-year Wharton student could.” This was a poseur, a phony, someone who always got by on bluff and intimidation, unable and/or unwilling to do the work or take the time to learn the business or develop the business skills necessary to succeed.Source: “It's Even Worse Than You Think; What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America By David Cay JohnstonIt has become more than apparent that Trump knows little about most things and next to nothing in terms of either managing his administration, the country or in fulfilling his role as president. Not only are these accusations voiced by his opposition, but similar concerns have also been even documented by his cabinet ministers, a number of whom have called him an idiot, a “fucking moron” or as “having the intelligence of a 5th or 6th grader”, virtually spot on with General Jim Mattis’ assessment of Trump’s ability.Source: “Fear: Trump in the White House” by Bob WoodwardSource: Donald Trump speaks at the level of an 8-year-old, analysis findsSource: https://bluenationreview.com/don...This guy is always claiming he " is like a real smart guy", yet Gary Cohn, the former White House adviser and former head of Goldman Sachs, someone considered as one of the, if not the, smartest guys on Wall Street, having joined TRUMP as an advisor, stated “this man HAS THE I.Q. OF AN INBRED TANNING BED”.Cohn said he was “astounded” by the depths of the president’s stupidity. He said it was a stone-cold, mind-blowing, we’ve-never-seen-an-I.Q.-in-the-single-digits-before levels of stupidity.He called the president a joke a liar and a “con on the public”, this from Cohn, the Goldman Sachs president turned National Economic Council director. Cohn stated he came away from his very first meeting with Donald Trump “astounded” by just how dumb the guy was.Cohn gave examples of what he meant. During a chat about various economic issues, Cohn told Trump that the Federal Reserve would likely increase rates during his first term in office, to which the President responded, “We should just go borrow a lot of money, hold it, and then sell it to make money.” This suggestion and “lack of basic understanding” about how federal debt works apparently sent chills up Cohn’s spine.Cohn went on to explain that borrowing more money would increase the deficit and add to the debt, something that would, in theory, be counterproductive for a delusional president who had pledged to completely eliminate the federal debt!!But “ I’m like a really smart guy”, wasn’t finished: The president-elect offered a solution. “Just run the presses—print money,” Trump said. Cohn suggested that would be detrimental to the fiscal and economic health of the U.S., since printing vast amounts of money leads to inflation. . . . Cohn also pointed out that there was a federal debt ceiling, a statutory limit to the amount of debt the federal government can have outstanding. Even approaching the debt ceiling can be harmful to the stock market and U.S. economic growth. But Cohn’s message did not seem to connect. Cohn told friends “It was clear that Trump did not understand the way the U.S. government debt cycle balance sheet worked”. Of course, the fact that the 45th president of the United States is an idiot is not exactly a new revelation.Source: “Fear: Trump in the White House” by Bob WoodwardBy contrast, Obama attended two top Ivy league schools, Columbia and Harvard Law, where he earned the very vaunted Harvard Law Review role in 1990.Here is what the New York Times reported at the time back in 1990: “The Harvard Law Review, generally considered the most prestigious in the country, elected the first black president in its 104-year history today. The job is considered the highest student position at Harvard Law School.The new president of the Review is Barack Obama, a 28-year-old graduate of Columbia University who spent four years heading a community development program for poor blacks on Chicago's South Side before enrolling in law school. His late father, Barack Obama, was a finance minister in Kenya and his mother, Ann Dunham, is an American anthropologist who did fieldwork in Indonesia.”As well as the high office won on merit, of note is the fact that both of Obama’s parents were well educated, each holding graduate degrees as well as a Ph.D. in his mother’s case. The education of parents is often a harbinger of similar intelligence levels in their offspring.Harvard professor Laurence Tribe is a sort of legal rock star rated as one of the very best of the best legal minds and American Law Professors who taught Obama and had this to say about his famous student: Upon checking his day timer, Tribe pointed out, "and there's an exclamation point next to it. ( Obama’s name)" That was to remind Tribe how impressed he was by this skinny kid in jeans, a sweatshirt and an afro, then a lowly first-year law student.” Their first conversation lasted hours, and Obama went on to work for Tribe on articles and books, including one called Abortion: The Clash of Absolutes.Tribe recalls that his research assistant tried to find a way out of deeply entrenched lines of the abortion debate, focusing instead on education and access to birth control. "It's as though he was looking not just for a point in the middle of a spectrum, but for a line that was perpendicular, so that one could get outside the tragic choice."The two have remained close, with Tribe serving as a mentor and informal adviser to the president over the years.Professor Charles Ogletree plays a similar role in Obama's life. In 1989, Ogletree taught a non-credit Saturday course to give first-year students a basic set of skills in law school.Ogletree remembers the student “who always arrived on time, sat in the front row, and was professorial almost to a fault. After answering the question, Obama would say, "But Al, who talked earlier, had a very good point when he said X. And Sarah, I think she really captured it when she said Y. And if you think about Latoya, her analysis was ..." at which point Ogletree would interject, "Barack, I'm teaching this class, not you!" That might sound like the arrogance Obama is sometimes accused of, but to Ogletree it sounded like this student was trying to bring everyone into the conversation.Bridge-BuilderAccording to Harvard classmate Ken Mack, “He (Obama) seemed to know who he was, be very grounded. Even then, classmate Ken Mack recalls, Obama stood apart. Mack is now a professor at Harvard Law School and author of the book Representing the Race: The Creation of the Civil Rights Lawyer."He seemed to know who he was, be very grounded," says Mack. There was no sign of the kid people used to call "Barry.""If you would've told me that someone had called him Barry, I would have been surprised. Barry is a little bit diminutive — that would not have fit him at all," Mack saysTaking The LeadBy the end of Obama's second year, his academic record and reputation had qualified him to run for one of the most prestigious roles at the law school — president of the Harvard Law Review.The review editors were a partisan, contentious group. Classmate Brad Berenson remembers the guy from Hawaii who floated above the fray. "One of the enduring images I have of him is of a guy in jeans and a leather jacket, Jimmy Dean style, standing out in front of Gannett House smoking a cigarette."Berenson was one of the conservatives, and in a long, contentious election, his group ultimately supported Obama's candidacy."They did that in part because they had a sense that he was more open-minded and would listen to the conservatives, and would value and accept their contributions in a way that some of the other candidates would not," says Berenson, who worked in the George W. Bush White House and is now a member of Romney's justice advisory committee. The following are Obama's top 16 major accomplishments:1. Ended the 2008 RecessionIn February 2009, Congress approved Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package. It cut taxes, extended unemployment benefits, and funded public works projects.The recession ended in July 2009 when GDP growth turned positive.In just seven months, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act pumped $241.9 billion into the economy. That increased growth to a robust 3.9 percent rate by early 2010. By March 30, 2011, almost all ($633.5 billion) of the funds were spent.2. Modernized the Auto IndustryObama bailed out the U.S. auto industry on March 30, 2009. The federal government took over General Motors and Chrysler, saving three million jobs. It forced the companies to become more fuel efficient and therefore more globally competitive.3. Received the 2009 Nobel Peace PrizeOn October 9, 2009, Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Committee lauded "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." He withdrew troops from Iraq in 2011. He reduced the U.S. nuclear warhead stockpile by 10 percent.4. Reformed Health CareOn March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act revolutionized healthcare. By 2014, the economy benefited from having 95 percent of the population on health insurance.The greater number of people receiving preventive care reduced the number of expensive visits to emergency rooms.That slows the rise of health care costs for everyone. That's because Medicaid reimburses hospitals for emergency care. Those are the most significant of Obamacare's 10 advantages.Why did health care need to be reformed? Rising costs threatened to take over the entire federal budget. It was also the no.1 cause of bankruptcies. In return, Americans received the worst health care in the developed world. It is the only one of 33 developed countries without universal health care.President Donald Trump promised to "repeal and replace" Obamacare. As of October 2017, he has failed to pass any legislation. But he is weakening Obamacare even without repeal.5. Regulated the Big BanksIn July 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act improved regulation of eight areas that led to the financial crisis. The Consumer Financial Protection Agencyreduced harmful practices of credit cards and mortgages. The Financial Stability Oversight Council regulated hedge funds and banks that became too big to fail. The "Volcker Rule" banned banks from risking losses with their depositors' money. Dodd-Frank clarified which agencies regulated which banks, stopping banks from cherry-picking their regulators.Dodd-Frank directed the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. These regulated the riskiest derivatives, like credit default swaps and commodities futures. Dodd-Frank also asked the SEC to recommend how the credit rating agencies, like Moody's and Standard & Poor's, could be improved.6. 2010 Tax CutsIn December 2010, Obama and Congress agreed upon additional stimulus in the form of an $858 billion tax cut. It had three main components: a $350 billion extensionof the Bush tax cuts, a $56 billion extension of unemployment benefits, and a $120 billion reduction in workers' payroll taxes. Businesses received $140 billion in tax cuts for capital improvements and $80 billion in research and development tax credits. The estate tax was exempted (up to $5 million), and there were additional credits for college tuition and children.7. Eliminated bin Laden Threat and Withdrew Troops from Iraq and Afghanistan WarsOn May 1, 2011, Navy SEALs attacked the al-Qaida leader's compound in Pakistan and eliminated Osama bin Laden. Later that year, Obama withdrew troops from the Iraq War. Three years later, renewed threats from ISIS meant troops had to return. The Sunni-Shiite split within Islam means there may always be wars in the Middle East.In 2014, Obama wound down the war in Afghanistan. Ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan should have reduced annual military spending. At over $800 billion, it was the largest discretionary budget item and one of the leading causes of the budget deficit and national debt.Instead, spending on the War on Terror remained higher than during the Bush administration.8. Raised Fuel Efficiency StandardsOn August 28, 2012, the Obama administration announced new fuel efficiency standards. He required cars and light trucks obtain 54.5 MPG by 2025. That would reduce oil consumption by 12 billion barrels, saving drivers $1.7 trillion. It would also reduce the damage of climate change by lowering greenhouse gases.The Trump administration promised to roll back these standards. But California requires zero-emissions vehicles. Twelve other states adopted the mandate. Major automakers must build cars to meet stricter standards in the European Union and Asia.9. Won 2012 Presidential Re-electionOn November 6, 2012, Obama won a second term. Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney promised to repeal Obamacare and Dodd-Frank. Voters were not sure about eliminating health benefits and regulations against big banks. Romney failed to capture the country's imagination by not presenting a new vision for economic growth.10. Reduced Carbon EmissionsObama announced carbon reduction regulations in 2014. He enacted the Clean Power Plan in 2015. It reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. It did this by setting carbon reduction goals for the nation's power plants. To comply, power plants agreed to create 30 percent more renewable energy generation by 2030. It encourages carbon emissions trading by allowing states that emit less than the carbon cap to trade their surplus to states that emit more than the cap.11. Nuclear Agreement With IranOn July 14, 2015, Obama brokered a nuclear peace agreement with Iran. That meant Iran could not longer build a nuclear bomb in three months. Instead, it would take at least a year. In return, the United Nations lifted the economic sanctions it imposed in 2010. Trump is weakening the agreement to try and negotiate a better deal for the United States.12. World's Largest Trade AgreementOn October 4, 2015, Obama's team negotiated the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It would have replaced NAFTA as the world's largest free-trade agreement. It would have removed tariffs between the United States and 11 other countries that border the Pacific Ocean. On January 23, 2017, Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement. The other countries are planning to continue the agreement anyway. Japan and the European Union are negotiating their own agreement.Obama launched the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the United States and the European Union.Obama's term ended before negotiations on the TTIP could be finalized. It would have been bigger than the TPP. President Trump has not made much progress on the TTIP.13. International Climate Change AgreementOn December 12, 2015, Obama and 196 other countries announced the Paris Climate Agreement. Countries agreed to reduce carbon emissions and increase carbon trading. The goal is to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. Developed countries will contribute $100 billion a year to assist emerging markets. They bear the brunt of damage from climate change. They face increased typhoons, rising sea levels, and more severe droughts.On October 5, 2016, enough countries ratified the agreement that it went into effect. At the 2016 G20 meeting, China and the United States agreed to ratify the agreement. These two countries are the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases. On June 1, 2017, Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement.14. Third-Best Job CreatorObama is the third-bestt job-creating president in U.S. history. His policies put 16 million people to work from the depths of the recession in December 2009 to the end of his term. That's because unemployment continued to rise even after the recession ended in July. It takes a few months of economic growth before businesses are confident enough to begin hiring again.Other AccomplishmentsMaintained Continuation of Federal Reserve Policy - Obama appointed Federal Reserve Vice-Chair Janet Yellen to replace Ben Bernanke. She maintained an expansionary monetary policy that created the lowest interest rates in 200 years. This allowed the early stages of the housing recovery and slow but steady business expansion to continue. That's because Treasury yields affect mortgage interest rates.Deficit Spending - The major mark against Obama is the increase in the national debt. Part of the reason for this increase was the deficit spending he used to stimulate the economy. Deficits fell in his second term. Obama's total deficits were $6.785 trillion, more than any other president.·FY 2017: $666 billion·FY 2016: $585 billion·FY 2015: $438 billion·FY 2014: $485 billion·FY 2013: $679 billion.·FY 2012: $1.087 trillion·FY 2011: $1.3 trillion.·FY 2010: $1.294 trillion.·FY 2009: Added $253 billion in stimulus spending to the Bush budget.No Personal Scandal - One achievement has gone unnoticed but is nevertheless admirable. That's Obama's unblemished personal record. President Obama has served longer than any president in decades without the appearance of the word “scandal” on the front page of The Washington Post.For any thinking person, looking at Trump and Obama, there is no question that Obama essentially the same height as Trump, but metaphorically Obama is head and shoulders over Trump, more intelligent and smarter in every measurable way.

It’s debatable. Trump has fed his base with a long list of easy wins. He has taken the USA out of many agreements and alliances—the Trans Pacific Partnership, the agreement with Iran, the Paris environmental accord, and so on—and he is threatening to get out of NAFTA, NATO and other agreements. He has ripped down pretty much everything Obama erected. He is rapidly isolating America (his version of America First). Now he is putting up protectionist trade barriers with all our major trading partners (risking a very destructive trade war). The list goes on.The point is his base loves all of this, but it has all been very easy to do—just sign his name on a sheet of paper, or send out a tweet. There have so far been no painful consequences. And almost everything he has done is destructive. What has he created? Only the great tax gift to his fellow billionaires and himself?But he is running out of easy hits. There isn’t a lot left that he has the power to do, and not much left that would not result in immediate negative consequences. He is running out of red meat to throw to his ravenous base. So, what does he do now? If he can’t figure that out his ravenous base might just eat him alive.