I Asked ChatGPT To Rank the Best Presidents for the Middle Class’s Wallet — Here’s What It Said
Written by
Brooke Barley
Edited by
Levi Leidy
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Which presidents benefited the middle class the most financially? To answer this question, you’d have to look at the policies they introduced how they affected those making an average living during their time in office. In addition, the time period influenced how that money was passed along to the working class.
With that understanding, I asked ChatGPT to rank the best presidents for the middle class’s wallet. Here’s what it said.
5. Dwight D. Eisenhower
ChatGPT ranked President Eisenhower at No. 5. Eisenhower was president from 1953 to 1961. During that time, he benefitted the middle class by raising the minimum wage and broadening Social Security. He also created the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. This resulted in 10 million more people receiving benefits, according to the Social Security Administration.
4. John F. Kennedy
At No. 4, ChatGPT had President Kennedy. Though Kennedy was president for less than three years before his assassination (1961-1963), he implemented policies that had a positive impact on the middle class. According to the JFK Library, Kennedy cut income taxes from a range of 20%-91% to 14%-65%. In addition, he raised the minimum wage, expanded unemployment benefits and boosted Social Security benefits, according to NPR.
3. Bill Clinton
President Clinton took the No. 3 spot in ChatGPT’s ranking. During Clinton’s presidency from 1993 to 2001, jobs grew by 30 million and median income grew by 17%, according to MSNBC. That income increase was the most rapid increase since the 1960s. Clinton also expanded the amount of the Earned Income Tax Credit during his presidency.
2. Lyndon B. Johnson
ChatGPT put LBJ at No. 2 on the list. Taking the reins after Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Johnson was president until 1969 and introduced many policies that would aid the American middle class. Johnson introduced the Higher Education Act, which created scholarships and gave low-interest loans to make college more accessible, according to the LBJ Library.
As part of his “War on Poverty,” Johnson also introduced Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare provided health insurance for people over the age of 65, and Medicaid helped provide health coverage for those under a certain income threshold. In its first three years, Medicaid had almost 20 million beneficiaries, according to Archives.gov.
NPR reported that Johnson also raised the minimum wage and started the first food stamp programs. These initiatives brought in more money for Americans and made it so essentials were more affordable, which led to a purchasing peak among low-wage workers.
1. Franklin D. Roosevelt
According to ChatGPT, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) “reshaped the American middle class more than any other president — not just by pulling the country out of the Great Depression, but by structurally redefining what it meant to be economically secure in America.”
Most notably, during his presidency from 1933-1945, Roosevelt introduced the New Deal, which included the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps. These provided monetary aid and temporary jobs to help get more unemployed people into the workforce. About 8.5 million people were employed thanks to these acts.
Another component of the New Deal was Social Security, a great financial aid to American workers that remains the country’s most popular social program to this day. Because of this program, we have benefits for retirees, unemployment pay and disability pay. The New Deal also brought the The Fair Labor Standards Act, also called Wages and Hours Act, which regulates hours and wages for employees.
Editor’s note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.
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