A new ranking of presidents by a group of self-styled experts determined that Abraham Lincoln is America’s greatest president, while Donald Trump ranks last.

Lincoln topped the list of presidents in the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project expert survey for the third time, following his top spot in the rankings in the 2015 and 2018 versions of the survey.

According to a release from the Presidential Greatness Project, which touts itself as the ‘foremost organization of social science experts in presidential politics,’ the 154 respondents to the survey included ‘current and recent members of the Presidents & Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association…as well as scholars who have recently published peer-reviewed academic research in key related scholarly journals or academic presses.’

The respondents were asked to rank presidents on a scale of 0-100, with 0 being a failure, 50 being average and 100 being great. Rounding out the top five in the rankings were Franklin Delano Roosevelt at number two, George Washington at three, Theodore Roosevelt at four, and Thomas Jefferson at five.

Trump was ranked in last place in the survey, being ranked worse than James Buchanan at 44, Andrew Johnson at 43, Franklin Peirce at 42, and William Henry Harrison at 41.

Respondents were also tracked by their political affiliation and ideology, which the release argues did not ‘tend to make a major difference overall’ in the rankings, though there were some outliers, mainly with recent presidents. 

Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Trump were more likely to be ranked higher by conservatives or Republicans, with Reagan being ranked an average of 5th by Republicans respondents, Bush 19th and Trump 41st. Among Democrat respondents, Reagan was rated an average of 18th, Bush 33rd and Trump 45th.

A similar partisan divide was noticeable for Barack Obama and President Biden, who ranked an average of 6th and 13th, respectively, among Democrat respondents, and 15th and 30th by Republicans. Bill Clinton, a Democrat, was ranked higher by Republican respondents (10th) than he was by Democrats (12th).

The divide resulted in an overall ranking of 7th for Obama, 12th for Clinton, 14th for Biden, 16th for Reagan and 32nd for Bush.

The commander of German Space Command, Maj. Gen. Michael Traut, said a Russian nuclear weapon detonating in orbit could permanently destroy ‘global commons.’ 

Speaking at an event Friday night on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Traut said he was left with ‘more questions than answers’ regarding U.S. intelligence reportedly indicating that Russia is developing an anti-satellite weapon in space with a nuclear component. Traut spelled out the consequences of a worst-case scenario. 

‘If somebody dares to explode a nuclear weapon in high atmosphere or even space, this would be more or less the end of the usability of that global commons [of orbit],’ Traut said, according to Politico, describing the devastating effects of an indiscriminate nuclear blast in space radiating out a satellite-frying electromagnetic pulse across low earth orbit. 

‘Nobody would survive an action like that – no satellite, either Chinese or Russian and American or European,’ Traut added. ‘If somebody calculates rationally, nobody would employ such a weapon in space.’

Ludwig Möller, the director of the European Space Policy Institute, predicted an economic fallout of trillions of dollars in the banking and energy sectors if Russia were to successfully knock out commercial satellites. While China and India are also fast developing their space technologies, Russia has been conducting military aerospace deals with the sanctioned states of Iran and North Korea while the war continues in Ukraine, according to Politico. 

Germany, France and the United Kingdom opened their prospective space commands over the past several years to build credible defense of government and commercial infrastructure in orbit. In signing the National Defense Authorization Act in law in December 2019, former President Trump created the U.S. Space Force, the first new armed service since 1947.

Despite the new U.S. intelligence about Russia developing some sort of anti-satellite nuclear weapon, White House adviser John Kirby denied there was an imminent threat. 

‘Though Russia’s pursuit of this particular capability is troubling, there is no immediate threat to anyone’s safety,’ Kirby said Thursday.  ‘We are not talking about a weapon that can be used to attack human beings or cause physical destruction here on Earth.’

House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, released a cryptic but alarming statement on Feb. 14, regarding information about the Russians’ activities, which he framed as a ‘serious national security threat,’ and urged President Biden to declassify it. 

Some sources suggested it was a nuclear weapon. Others suspect a weapon that is nuclear-powered but not a nuclear warhead.

The White House confirmed the following day that the Russian system under development is a space-based anti-satellite weapon, and that if it were deployed it would violate the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which bans weapons of mass destruction in space. The Kremlin responded by dismissing the reports as a ‘malicious fabrication.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The 66th Daytona 500, one of the biggest NASCAR races of the year, has been rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 19. For anyone watching, it will look like a rerun of the Joe Biden presidency. The cars will drive around in circles, always turn left and many who watch will be waiting for a crash.

Americans got a terrifying reminder of just how true this is following the release of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on how Biden mishandled classified documents. The report skewered the president as ‘a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.’ Soon after, Biden called a hasty press conference to rebut those charges.

It wasn’t an ordinary press event. It was a sneak peek at the great race for the 2024 election. And the president crashed at high speed. Viewers tuned in to see Biden first recite prepared remarks. He faced the press to dispel criticisms of his mental ability. Biden promptly described Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi as the ‘president of Mexico.’

A mistake of about 7,600 miles. As Maxwell Smart used to say in the spy comedy ‘Get Smart,’ ‘Missed it by that much.’ 

Team Biden responded to the PR disaster by taking their whole media strategy in for a pit stop to work on it. That meant Biden avoided the friendly Super Bowl interview Democrat presidents get prior to the big game. He stayed on that track by avoiding press inquiries during a Feb. 13 event, but vowed to ‘come back and answer questions later.’

The campaign went full speed on that avoiding-crashes strategy by embracing the Chinese social media app TikTok. The president appeared on the app with a short, pre-planned interview under the comment, ‘Hey by the way, we just joined TikTok.’ Ahh, yes, TikTok, the app the president barred federal employees from having on their phones this time last year. 

No one asks you tough questions on TikTok, either. So, it’s an easy ride.

Journalists raced around in circles, reporting on the president’s memory lapses. As CNN put it, ‘Biden’s allies can’t agree on how to combat questions about his age and memory.’ 

But they sure tried. At least three different ways.

The first attempt followed the incident with some honesty. The New York Times explained how, ‘Eight Words and a Verbal Slip Put Biden’s Age Back at the Center of 2024.’ The Washington Post had a similar, crash-and-burn look at the memory lapses, ‘Special counsel report paints scathing picture of Biden’s memory.’ And ABC News went with, ‘Special counsel blows open debate over Biden age and memory: ANALYSIS.’

The Times editorial board slammed Biden, saying, ‘His assurances, in other words, didn’t work,’ adding, ‘He must do better.’ 

The media then raced to defend the president with medical professionals. ABC News cited doctors declaring, ‘Forgetting dates doesn’t mean President Biden’s decision-making or cognitive fitness is failing: Doctors.’ NBC drove home that point, ‘As Biden’s memory issues draw attention, neurologists weigh in.’

Finally, the media cautioned that there was a similarity between the two likely nominees. AP stayed in that lane. ‘Verbal gaffe or sign of trouble? Mixing up names like Biden and Trump have done is pretty common.’ NPR followed right behind with, ‘Is there a double standard on age between Trump and Biden?’ Or, as Forbes put it, ‘Jon Stewart Mocks ‘Similarly Challenged’ Biden And Trump In Daily Show Return.’

Meanwhile, Team Biden kept focused on turning ever left to make up for lost ground.

During the president’s failed presser, he openly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, claiming that Israel’s response to the worst act of barbarism attacking Jewish people since the Holocaust as ‘over the top.’ Subsequent reporting had Biden referring to Netanyahu as an ‘a–hole’ at least three separate times.

That left turn is designed to placate the liberals who want Biden to abandon the longtime ally and leave Gaza to terrorist Hamas.

Then there’s the president’s liquid natural gas export ban. It’s aimed at keeping the climate extremists happy even if it aids America’s adversaries in Russia. Another left turn.

And, of course, Biden had to defend his failed border strategy and its architect Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who was impeached by the House of Representatives. ‘History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship,’ he argued as thousands more illegals crossed the border.

Add in Biden’s failed Houthi campaign because he fears confronting Iran and the president is turning left so often, he would have made NASCAR great Jeff Gordon dizzy. 

All of that has Democrats worried that Biden might not even complete the 2024 race. Politico, the voice of the Democrat establishment, warned, ‘Democrats Might Need a Plan B. Here’s What It Looks Like.’ And wannabe President Kamala Harris is eager to shed her Veep title. The Hill wrote, ‘Harris says she’s ready to serve amid questions about Biden’s age.’

If the race continues like this and Democrats want a better chance to win in November, they might need someone else in the driver’s seat. Maybe they’ll open the Democratic convention with Carrie Underwood singing, ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel.’

Former President Trump will be on trial in New York City next month to defend himself against charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, taking the 2024 GOP frontrunner off of the campaign trail. 

But that won’t stop him. He says he’ll campaign at night.

‘I’ll do it in the evening,’ Trump said this week when asked how sitting in court to defend himself against charges brought by brought by Bragg related to alleged hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign would affect his 2024 presidential campaign. 

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The former president, who will likely be the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for the White House by the time the Bragg trial begins March 25, has been forced to tackle competing calendars for the last several months with presidential primaries and court dates in multiple jurisdictions.

So far this year, Trump dominated in the Iowa caucuses, left New Hampshire with a commanding victory, swept caucuses in Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands and is poised to win in South Carolina Feb. 24.

But Trump’s victories haven’t come just from crisscrossing the country stumping on the campaign trail. He’s spent days in court in New York for Bragg’s case, the civil fraud trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against him and his businesses and E. Jean Carroll’s defamation trial. 

He’s also appeared in court in Washington D.C. for special counsel Jack Smith’s case related to the 2020 election and in Florida for Smith’s case related to classified documents.

‘President Trump has been attacked by the Democrats for eight years. He has stood strong through two sham impeachments, endless lies and now multiple baseless political witch hunts,’ Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. ‘The Democrats want Donald Trump in a courtroom instead of on the campaign trail delivering his winning message to the American people, but nothing will stop him from doing that.’

The first trial on the 2024 calendar was supposed to be in Washington, D.C., March 4 after special counsel Jack Smith charged the former president with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights. 

Those charges stem from Smith’s investigation into whether Trump was involved in the Capitol riot Jan. 6, 2021, and any alleged interference in the 2020 election result.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The trial was scheduled for March 4, the day before the March 5 Super Tuesday primary contests, when Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Vermont vote to select a GOP nominee.

But Smith has asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether Trump can be prosecuted on charges relating to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump has also appealed to the Supreme Court a lower court’s ruling on presidential immunity.

The trial is paused until the Supreme Court makes its decisions. It is now unclear when — and if — that trial could begin.

But that doesn’t make the month of March free for campaign events. New York Judge Juan Merchan this week rejected Trump’s request to dismiss the charges against him from Bragg’s investigation. Merchan set jury selection for March 25 and said the trial will last approximately six weeks.

Bragg alleged Trump ‘repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.’

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in New York.

Jury selection in that case will begin just after the Louisiana primary and ahead of April 2, when Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin voters hit the polls to select a GOP nominee.

Smith also charged Trump after his investigation into the former president’s alleged improper retention of classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony charges from that probe. The charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.

Trump was then charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment from Smith’s investigation, an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts. Trump pleaded not guilty.

That trial was set to begin on May 20, 2024, ahead of the Kentucky primary on May 21, the Oregon primary on May 25 and New Jersey’s primary June 4.

But U.S. District Judge of the Southern District of Florida Aileen Cannon, who is presiding over the case, said that date may be delayed. A decision will be made March 1 during the next court date.

‘The Democrats want Donald Trump in a courtroom instead of on the campaign trail delivering his winning message to the American people, but nothing will stop him from doing that.’

— Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt

Should Trump win the GOP nomination, he would spend July 15-18 at the Republican Convention in Milwaukee.

However, Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis has proposed her trial begin just weeks later.

Willis charged Trump as part of her investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state. Trump was charged with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements.

He pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Fulton County prosecutors have proposed that trial begin Aug. 5, 2024.

But Willis has been in court defending herself after revelations that she had a romantic relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade, who she brought onto her team to help bring charges against Trump.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital this week, Trump blasted the case as a ‘sham.’ 

‘There is no case here,’ Trump said during Willis’ testimony. ‘It is so badly tainted. There is no case here.’

Trump told Fox News Digital ‘the case will have to be dropped.’

‘There’s no way they can have a case,’ Trump said. ‘The whole thing was a scam to get money for the boyfriend.’

Commenting on all of the cases against him, Trump said, ‘It’s all corrupt stuff. It is all politics — using the law to try to stop a party that is substantially ahead, and a particular person that’s substantially ahead in every poll, including against Biden.

‘This is all meant to stop me.’

President Biden on Saturday appeared to mix up NATO with Ukraine when calling on House members to come back to Washington, D.C., to vote on a bill that would fund Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. 

‘The idea that we’re going to walk away from Ukraine, the idea that we’re going to begin to let NATO split is totally against the interests of the United States of America, and it’s against our word we’ve given since all the way back to Eisenhower,’ Biden told reports in Delaware Saturday. ‘So it’s about time we make sure Congress come home and pass the legislation funding NATO.’ 

The Senate this week passed the bipartisan bill that would give $95.3 million in funding to the three allies for defense purposes, but the House of Representatives is on a two-week break and House Speaker Mike Johnson has said the House won’t ‘rush’ to pass it. 

The 81-year-old’s mental fitness has been under scrutiny since Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on the president’s mishandling of classified documents last week said he had a ‘poor memory.’ 

‘We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,’ Hur wrote in the report explaining that the president would not face any charges. 

The Republican National Committee’s rapid response X, formerly Twitter, account RNC Research seized on the gaffe posting a clip and writing, ‘Ukraine isn’t in NATO — neither are Israel and Taiwan.’ 

Biden, notorious for gaffes, also mixed up the presidents of Mexico and Egypt last week, and while speaking at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference confused ‘red state and blue state’ with ‘red state and green state’ while giving his remarks.

‘When I said — when I pushed these programs — I said I’m going to be the president of everybody we live in a red state or green state,’ Biden said.

Former President Trump, the Republican frontrunner, has also had his share of gaffes, most recently appearing to confuse opponent Nikki Haley for former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips announced Friday that he had to lay off ‘a lot’ of his campaign staff as he faces difficulties raising enough cash to operate his campaign the way he wants to, but said he will remain in the race for the White House.

‘I found it almost impossible to raise enough to do this campaign the way I want. And today, sadly, I had to announce layoffs to a lot of my staff members,’ Phillips, who currently represents Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District in the House, said in a video shared to X.

Describing those he laid off as ‘amazing people who gave up a lot personally and a lot professionally’ to help his campaign, Phillips said it was a ‘really tough day’ between himself and those who were let go.

Despite the layoffs, Phillips vowed to remain in the race, insisting that’s a ‘promise’ he made to those who are no longer working on his campaign.

‘I made a promise to them, and I’m gonna make it to you,’ he continued. ‘I’m not giving up. I’m going to continue. I’m on ballots in 43 states, our country is desperate for change.’

‘We can be hopeful again, we can be optimistic again, and we can celebrate America again. But we gotta do it together,’ he added.

Speaking to his supporters in the video, Phillips said, ‘I’m going to continue this journey as long as you want this journey continued.’

The video of Phillips featured repeated pleas for financial support for his campaign, which has struggled in recent weeks as incumbent President Biden strengthens his hold on Democratic voters.

‘I love you all and thank you for keeping the faith,’ he said. ‘Join me, the Dean team, we can do it.’

Phillips, who announced he was entering the 2024 White House race with a long-shot Democratic primary challenge against Biden last October, has so far struggled against the president in a handful of key, early-voting states.

In the New Hampshire Democratic primary election last month, Phillips garnered 20% of the vote, compared to Biden who earned 64% as a write-in-candidate. In the South Carolina Democratic primary election earlier this month, Phillips was wiped out by Biden who earned 96% of the vote. Phillips failed to clear 2% support in that election and was also topped by Marianne Williamson, who ended her campaign last week.

Phillips is set to go up against Biden again this month in the Feb. 27 Michigan Democratic primary election.

Following Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report this month that found Biden struggled to remember basic events in his life, Phillips said Biden’s ‘decline’ was clear.

The report outlined instances where Biden had a difficult time remembering key details and events, including when he served as vice president and the exact date his son, Beau, died.

‘Anybody who has their eyes open can see what’s going on,’ Phillips said of Biden. ‘I think it’s a shame. I think it’s embarrassing. And I think it’s sad. And I think it’s a shame for a president who could cement a legacy, pass the torch and do what’s best for the country. It’s not just about him.’

‘[W]e all see with our own eyes his speeches and the decline. He’s an 81-year-old man,’ Phillips said, adding that Biden would serve until 2029 if he were re-elected.

Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is likely to be the next secretary-general of NATO, urged fellow European leaders to stop ‘whining’ about former President Trump.

The blunt admonition comes days after the GOP 2024 front-runner suggested the U.S. should not honor its NATO commitments if European countries do not increase their defense contribution to the North Atlantic alliance. Trump’s comments sparked outrage throughout Europe and provoked an immediate condemnation from President Biden’s White House. 

‘We should stop moaning and whining and nagging about Trump,’ Rutte said Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. 

‘It’s up to the Americans. I’m not an American, I cannot vote in the U.S. We have to work with whoever is on the dance floor,’ he added. 

Rutte, who is retiring from Dutch politics in July, said that Europe should increase its defense spending and ramp up ammunition production whether or not Trump returns to the White House in 2024. 

He also said it was in the continent’s interests to increase support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. 

Rutte is the front-runner to succeed NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg, who will step down in October, according to Reuters. He has said he would not campaign for the job. 

Stoltenberg was among those who lambasted Trump’s comments this week, stating that the forme president’s rhetoric ‘undermines’ the security of its members.

‘The whole idea of NATO is that an attack on one ally will trigger a response from the whole alliance, and as long as we stand behind that message together, we prevent any military attack on any ally,’ Stoltenberg said at a press conference Wednesday.

He continued, ‘Any suggestion that we are not standing up for each other, that we are not going to protect each other, that does undermine the security of all of us.’

The warning came after Trump offered harsh words for NATO allies at a campaign rally last week, going so far as to suggest that the U.S. would not defend NATO allies that do not contribute their full share.

Trump recalled a conversation he had with the president ‘of a big country,’ who he says asked him if they did not increase their defense contribution to the North Atlantic alliance ‘and we’re attacked by Russia, will you protect us?’

‘NATO was busted until I came along,’ Trump said. ‘I said, ‘Everybody’s gonna pay.’ They said, ‘Well, if we don’t pay, are you still going to protect us?’ I said, ‘Absolutely not.’ They couldn’t believe the answer.’

While Stoltenberg expressed concern at Trump’s remarks, the former president’s comment did spark a rush to confirm member countries’ contributions in the coming year.

The NATO chief announced that 18 of the alliance’s 31 members are on track to meet their pledges of contributing 2% of GDP to the group. European states are on track to contribute $380 billion this year, and Germany will meet its 2% pledge for the first time since the Cold War.

Rutte suggested that focusing on Trump’s comments only serves to distract from supporting Ukraine and meeting NATO’s commitments. 

‘And all that whining and moaning about Trump. I hear that constantly over the last couple of days. Let’s stop doing that,’ Rutte said, adding that after talking with U.S. politicians in Munich he was ‘cautiously optimistic’ that Congress will pass the national security supplemental package with funding for Ukraine. 

Fox News Digital’s Timothy H.J. Nerozzi, Anders Hagstrom and Reuters contributed to this report.