American Presidents: Totalus Rankium
Rob and Jamie rank and review all American presidents, discussing their lives, presidencies, and legacies in a humorous and informative way.
Episodes
Exciting Announcement!
Exciting news! Jamie and I will be keynote speakers in next year's Intelligent Speech Conference! (28th Feb 2026) More information in the the announcement episode. But tickets are on sale - use our discount code!(Rankium)
Intelligent Speech Online is happening February 28th, 2026.
· The theme is Companions and Rivals
· Tickets are on sale at intelligentspeechonline.com
· Earlybird pricing
Exciting Event!
Jamie and I will be at this year's online Intelligent Speech Conference!
The conference has been going since 2019 and is full of history podcasters and other content creators. We are honoured to be back on the 8th of Feb. We will be talking about the deception on the public in regards to pirates. Did they have peg legs? What are the parrots about? Did they all shout "Arrrr!"? Join us and find out
New series! Pirates: Totalus Rankium!
That's right! If you can see this then that means that our third podcast Pirates Totalus Rankium is out! Search for it by using the words Pirates, Totalus and Rankium!
Knockouts: The Final
Here we are! We reach the final of American Presidents: Totalus Rankium! Only two presidents are left, and only one can win! But this is tricky - so to help us we have invited two genuine Americans on to argue for their president of choice! Jerry from The Presidencies Podcast and Alycia from Civics and Coffee Podcast!
https://www.presidenciespodcast.com/about/
https://www.civicsandcoffee.com/
Knockouts: Semi Final II
We come to the second semi final where the two winners of group C and D face off against each other! The winner here will face the other finalist to see who wins American Presidents: Totalus Rankium!
Plus: We look into which era of the USA had the best presidents!
Knockouts: Semi Final I
This week we look at which is the best/most interesting political Party in US history. But most importantly we decide who goes through to the final!
Knockouts: Group D
The final group and only one can go through! Who will it be? Lollipop Hayes, Mad Mad Jackson, Poor Rich JFK, or Father Madison? Find out!
We also look at Canvasibility: who has the best portrait?
Knockouts: Group C
We go onto group C - otherwise known as the Group of Death! With three of the 4 Mount Rushmore Presidents in one group, who will go through? Licoln, Washington, Jefferson or Reagan!?
Knockouts: Group B
On to the second of the knockout episodes. Who will it be? We have Obama, JQA, Madison and Teddy R. Only one can go through!
Knockouts: Group A
Time to start knocking people out! In this group stage Eisenhower, FDR, Grant and LBJ go against each other one on one. Only one can go through, but who will it be? We also look at out sinners and losers in the Statesmanship round!
The Draw
We now have ranked all the presidents. But now the real challenge begins. 17 got the coveted AmeriCAN. 16 will be put into round of 4 to battle their way to a final. Who is in what round? Find out!
45.3 Donald Trump
So at last we come to the end! Join us as we rate the last president in the series! Trump has dominated political life in teh US for almost a decade, but how do we rate him? Find out!
45.2 Donald Trump
Part 2 of Trump and in this episode we leave his business career behind and say hello to his political career! So thats fun. Join us as we cover the election and the tumultuous first 2 years of his presidency!
45.1 Donald Trump
Here we go... time to look into one of the most controversial presidents in US history - Donald J Trump. In this episode its all about his pre-presidential life. Was he a business genius? How did the casinos do? Who is John Barron? Who needs that much gold paneling in their home? Find out!
44.3 Barack Obama
In part three we look into the presidency of Obama. He has one of the hardest starts of any presidents: the economy is down the toilet and the country is embroiled in not one but two wars. So what is he to do? And why does the GOP keep inviting him to a tea party!?
44.2 Barack Obama
Last time we saw Obama's background and how he succumbed to the political life. This time we look into the political life right up until he becomes president. How does he do? Find out!
44.1 Barack Obama
We are getting very modern! We all remember Barack Obama's presidency, but how well do we know his past? Join us as we go through his early life from Hawaii, to Indonesia, to New York and Chicago!
43.3 George W Bush
We come to the last episode of Dubya. A lot happened during his presidency but will he step up to the plate? Will he seize the moment? Will he, when it comes down to it, do a good job? Will he &*%@
43.2 George W Bush
W. wants to be president, but before he can do that he has to get through one of the most controversial elections in US history. But once he is in, I'm sure he is in for a smooth ride...
43.1 George W Bush
We have covered Daddy Bush, But does Baby bush live up to his father? Does he even care? (Yes - yes he cares a lot. The man has daddy issues) Join us as we cover W's early life!
42.2 Bill Clinton
Bill in in the White House! But this is making some people very angry and determined to use anything they can find to bring him down. Will they find any dirt in his past? Something to do with the financials? Or maybe his personal life? - It's his treatment of women thing it was always going to be that it's the woman thing that's what they will find
42.1 Bill Clinton
In episode 1 of Bill Clinton we look at his life before being president. Did he inhale? Did he dodge the draft? Did he sleep with all the women? Yes. Yes he did.
41.3 George H W Bush
After a very eventful life Daddy Bush finally makes it to the top job! so what will he do with that? Sort out the economy! (Ah - maybe... there seems to be a couple of massive global political events going on also...)
41.2 George H W Bush
Last time we were quite impressed with Bush last time in early life. But what about now he is starting to run for president? Does he change? does he become Reagan's lapdog? a spineless jellyfish? hmmm. lets find out.
41.1 George H W Bush
Before Dubya Bush, there was Daddy Bush. he is perhaps the most overlooked of modern presidents due to his single term, but who was this man? What was his early life? Find out in ep1!
40.3 Ronald Reagan
In Part 3 we cover the end of Reagan's presidency. At the start of his presidency he got all he wanted to do done. So what now? Russia! (and corruption - a fair bit of that)
40.2 Ronald Reagan
In episode 2 of 3 for Reagan we cover his rise to the big seat. And then when he is there, what is he going to do? who knows? (We all know, it's tax reform. It's aways about tax with this guy)
40.1 Ronald Reagan
We now come to the father of the modern GOP: Ronald Reagan. The Actor! Just think what thoughts the young Reagan may have had: What will LA be like? Will I ever be a A-list star? And why were there so many damn commies around!? Find out in this episode!
39.2 Jimmy Carter
He is now held in regard as the beloved ex-president - the sage old man. But when he was president he was not so well liked. So what is the truth behind the first person we have ever covered who is still alive!?
39.1 Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter has the honour of being the first living person we have covered. In this episode find out about his early life, his smile, and his not so humble peanut farm!
38.2 Gerald Ford
We have covered his early life as an all American football star and war hero - now for part two where... he... erm... becomes president despite no one wanting him and he annoys everyone? Yep.
38.1 Gerald Ford
After the chaos of Nixon, Ford is not as well known. So who was this all American footballer done good? Where did he come from? Find out!
37.3 Richard Nixon
In Nixon's final part we mostly cover the watergate scandal and then we judge him. I wonder if one will affect the other?
37.2 Richard Nixon
Part 2 of 3 of President Nixon. We cover his first term as president, otherwise known as 'not the watergate stuff'. So we figure it must be all good and scandal free right? Right?
37.1 Richard Nixon
So we come to Tricky Dick. Well known for a long time for being the stain on American presidential history - but is that deserved? Well, let's start with his pre watergates/presidential life shall we...
36.2 Lydon B Johnson
Ok, so he wasn't the greatest of guys before he became president. But maybe he can make up for it in today's episode? Maybe?
36.1 Lyndon B Johnson
LBJ is not perhaps the most well known of the post war presidents. But why? Maybe if you dig deep down you will find a really good guy with a great character. Like, really deep. Bring some friends with shovels.
35.2 John F Kennedy
Using all the silver spoons, Jack has become president. But now what? Will he use his powers of mediocracy for good? Find out!
Update and Q&A
Update on why we have been away and what is happening next. Plus a Q&A session.
35.1 John F Kennedy
Kennedy is one of the biggest names in US Presidential history. But how did he become the worlds youngest elected US president? Was it through hard work? Was it? or something else? Find out!
34.2 Dwight Eisenhower
So he has won the largest war in history, now what? Settle down in London with his true love? Go home to his wife and become the president? Who knows? (We obviously all know).
Founding Fathers Senate Announcement
Exciting news! Our Senate Patreon series on the founding fathers and those that lived in the revolutionary era is starting this weekend! Find out about how to listen in this announcement.
Link to patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/TotalusRankium?fan_landing=true
34.1 Dwight Eisenhower
Eisenhower may have become supreme commander of the world (or something like that) before becoming president, but what was his life like up to that point? Did he blind anyone? Did he get to know his driver? Did he invent the stealth tank? Find out!
33.2 Harry Truman
Part 2 of Truman is out! See how he deals with the end of the war and the start of another war and all the communists. So many communists.
33.1 Harry Truman
We are back (again) and we have part one of Harry Truman for you! Find out about farms, gangsters and dragons!
32.3 Franklin D Roosevelt
As WWII breaks out, FDR enters an unprecedented third term - He has political battles ahead of him, as well as actual battles he desperately wants to avoid. Can he keep the US out of the war? Find out! (I mean, find out how he doesn't. We all know he doesn't.)
32.2 Franklin D Roosevelt
Part 2 of our three part look at Roosevelt. In this episode he becomes governor of New York and then President all while the economy is weeping in a cupboard somewhere. So how does he do? Find out!
32.1 Franklin D Roosevelt
Surprise release! We managed to find a bit of time between packing, and attempting to do our jobs remotely. So here is Franklin part 1. Find out what a man born with all the silver spoons can do with his life!
Election Special: Wicked Game
In this election special episode we are lucky enough to get to chat to the people behind Wicked Game: American Elections. They have covered every American president election in US history, and we get to pick their brains about the most recent one. How it played out, and predictions for the future!
31.2 Herbert Hoover
As the 2020 presidential race unfolds while we record, Jamie and I attempt to stay focussed and talk about just how well Hoover managed the great depression. Spoiler: It does not go well. He is a 1 term president.
31.1 Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover lives an action packed life full of contradictions. Join us as we try and figure out who this man is. A robber Barron? A great humanitarian? A populist? A progressive? A massive racist? And also, will he be ready for the upcoming great crash?
30.2 Calvin Coolidge
We found it hard to figure out Coolidge last episode, but maybe this episode will clear things up. Find out what he got up to as president! Oh, and there is a vibrating horse and a rampaging bear in it.
30.1 Calvin Coolidge
Coolidge may be a man with hidden depths, but if he is, they are ocean-trench deep. Join us as we try and figure out if Coolidge has a dry wit and worked hard to get the top job, or he is a robot with a lot of luck.
29.2 Warren Harding
Harding was never more popular than the day after he died, and then it all started to go wrong for him. So why has Harding's reputation taken such a battering in the last 100 years. Find out as we continue the Amazing Adventures of Warren and Jerry!
29.1 Warren Harding
At last we come to harding. Harding may not have stood tall in US history, but he does make a bit of a splash. In this episode we got stuck into what makes Harding an interesting, if not nice man.
28.2 Woodrow Wilson
Wilson is in the Whitehouse. He has a simple plan: make the USA a better place to live in and stay out of the World War. Oh, and he'd quite like to do some racist stuff also. See which ones he manages!
28.1 Woodrow Wilson
He is known as the president during WWI, but was there more to Wilson? What about his early life? Did he do anything other than study? Not really, but some interesting stuff happened around him, so join us and find out!
27.2 William Taft
It's not easy to follow a president like Teddy Roosevelt. It's even harder when that Teddy Roosevelt decides that perhaps you are no longer up to the job. Taft was going to find this hard even with his friend's help, now it's unlikely he will survive.
27.1 William Taft
William Taft is an often overlooked president. Possibly because he seemed to sail through life with people shoving doors open for his sail boat (metaphors getting a bit mixed there). But this does not mean he is not interesting! This episode we cover his early life and what was going on in the Philippines at the turn of the century.
26.2 Theodore Roosevelt
Last time TR seemed to do just about everything there is to do - now he is off to war! Find out how he achieved fame in Cuba and goes on to become the president against his own parties wishes. NOTE - in our excitement, we added his score wrong - take 1 point off what we say at the end.
EDIT: Episode edited and updated. In the orginal Lieutenant Ord's ethnicity was incorrectly identified as black.
26.1 Theodore Roosevelt
Where do we start with Theodore Roosevelt? We decided on his birth, but it's a struggle fitting everything in after that. Join us as we look at arguably the most action packed life of any president!
25.2 William McKinley
William McKinley is not winning any points for being an interesting person (literally - spoilers) but he did live in interesting times. Join us as we manage to skirt round diving in depth on tariffs and instead discuss The American-Spanish war, the lesser known American-Philippine war and William’s fun day out at the fair.
25.1 William McKinley
We are back up and running after a pesky pandemic knocked us down for a bit! Recording from our individual homes, we cover the early life of William McKinley. Is there more to this man than he loved a tariff? Join us as we revisit Haye's diaries and Rob introduces Jamie to the joys of Bruce Springsteen!
Special Episode: Emperor Norton I
Did you know that the United States of America was ruled by an emperor for 21 years during the 19th century? Well, it was. This is a one off special episode on the amazing Emperor Norton I while we try to get to grips with recording while on lockdown.
CoronaUpdate
Just a little update to let you all know how we are and what our plans are.
24 Mid Way Review
We are half way! And what better way to celebrate than to chat through our rankings so far with the wonderful Jerry Landry from the Presidencies Podcast. Not only that, but we answer your questions (read in a variety of different accents by Jamie!) What more could you want?
23.2 Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin has navigated through a life full of war, politics and cucumbers, but now he faces his biggest challenge: to live up to his grandfather's memory and lead the United States as president. However, it would appear the solution to everything is... tariffs! Listen while Rob attempts to convince Jamie that talking about tariffs is important!
23.1 Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison is the grandson of a former president, but that does not mean he has it all easy. He has to contend with forbidden cucumbers, William Wallace and grave robbers before he can even start to think about becoming president himself.
22.2 Grover Cleveland
Big Steve is now in the white house, and he has his mind on one thing: his dead friend’s daughter. Once married however, he settles down to some good old fashioned tariff debate. Don’t worry though, we talk about plenty of other things: ballbat, the new colossus, rail strikes and open yacht surgery!
22.1 Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland, or Big Steve to his friends, wanted to be a lawyer. So when he uncle gave him the opportunity he went for it. From then on he goes from one job to the next until he finds himself president! Shame about all the skeletons in the cupboard…
21.2 Chester Arthur
Chester Arthur finds himself the first unwilling president of the United States. The bad news: He has done nothing but embrace a corrupt form of government his whole adult life - and now finds himself pushed to the top by a man who killed another president to allow this system to continue. The good news: He has a mighty moustache. Let's see how we rank him!
21.1 Chester Arthur
Arthur is not the most well known of presidents, but that does not mean he did not achieve much in his early life. Who else managed this level of corruption? Who else could claim to benefit from the patronage system so well? Who else was so much of a Conkling man? He may be a coaster, but damn it, he could coast like the best of them.
20.2 James Garfield
Garfield is now president and is ready to deal with all the issues facing modern America. We spend this episode looking into how he deals with the corruption that is rife within the political - Hang on! What’s that!?
Looks like we have something else to focus on this episode…
20.1 James Garfield
Our first Viking president! it's James Garfield. He is not very well known, but perhaps he is a hidden gem. Find out how his adventures on the seven seas went, his time during the war and discover just exactly why that money was 'resting' in his account.
State of the Union 03 - Steven Walters and Erik Archilla 1865
We are very lucky this week to be talking to the writers of the amazing 1865 podcast, an audio drama set in the aftermath of the assassination of Lincoln. Steven Walters and Erik Archilla have spent years getting into the heads of the characters of that time, including Lincoln and Johnson, so we decided to ask them their thoughts on the two presidents we have ranked best and worst so far respectiv
19.2 Rutherford B Hayes
Hayes has lived a life of happiness, kittens and rainbows so far - but now the Rock of Hayes’ optimism is about the hit the Hard Place of post war America. Something will have to give: either Hayes’ sunny perspective on life, or an increasingly corrupt, racist and divided govenment. Take your bets…
19.1 Rutherford B Hayes
Rutherford B Hayes may not be the first name that comes to mind when you think of presidents, but he was the first with a good beard. He also, in his own words, was the sunniest man around. No event is too tragic for Rutherford not to meet with a smile and a note in his diary. Find out just what he was so cheerful about!
18.2 Ulysses S Grant
AUDIO: It would seem Jamie's mic dropped out during recording resulting in him seemingly recording his part from a small tin box. I've done the best i can to boost he volume, but I'm afraid he is a bit quiet throughout.
Grant has won the civil war for the US, but now the peace needs to be won - and that apparently is a lot harder job. Surrounded by corrupt businessmen politicians, Grant wants to
18.1 Ulysses S Grant
During the Civil war, Lincoln needed someone, anyone, who would fight. Enter a general with a Greek name, a taste for drink and a 'bigger picture' attitude. Known as Hiram, Ulysses, Sam, 'Unconditional Surrender' and 'The Butcher', Grant went by many names, but who was he? Find out!
17.2 Andrew Johnson
The country is torn apart, the war may be over but the president is dead - in steps Johnson; it is up to him to make sure that all the pain and suffering is not for nothing- that the country can learn from its mistakes and move forward. Sorry, he’s doing what? Oh dear…
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