Donald Trump's Miserable Presidents Day

Donald Trump will be seeing in this year's Presidents Day after experiencing a particularly turbulent few days.

The former president may not be in a joyous mood during the federal holiday, which occurs on the third Monday of every February, in the wake of a series of hits to his reputation amid his latest White House bid.

Trump has recently been ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in a civil fraud case in New York, he was booed while trying to sell sneakers at a convention in Philadelphia, and he was named the worst president in U.S. in a poll.

Below, Newsweek looks at the reasons why Trump may not be in the mood for celebrating Presidents Day this Monday.

Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey

A recent poll conducted between experts on American politics put Trump in last place in a list of the greatest U.S. presidents.

The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey, which includes current and recent members of the Presidents and Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association and scholars, placed Trump 45th out of 45 in their list.

The poll asked experts to rank each president from zero to 100, and the scores were averaged out and ranked. Trump came in bottom position with a score of 10.92 points, behind James Buchanan (16.71) in 44th place and Andrew Johnson (21.45) in 43rd.

Abraham Lincoln was ranked as America's greatest president, with a score of 93.87, followed by Franklin D. Roosevelt in second (90.83) and George Washington in third (90.32).

Biden, who has still yet to complete a full term in office, was named the 14th greatest U.S. president, with a score of 62.66.

Trump's office has been contacted for comment via email.

Judge Arthur Engoron's Ruling

On Friday, the judge overseeing Trump's civil fraud trial ordered him to pay nearly $355 million in penalties after ruling the former president has misstated the value of his properties and assets in financial statements for years.

In his ruling, Engoron also banned Trump from operating any business in New York for three years. The decision was particularly devastating for Trump, who built his fame, wealth and reputation off the back of his real estate empire, and who still cites his business acumen as a reason why he became a success in politics.

Engoron ordered that Trump, his company and his two sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. also pay interest on the fine, pushing the amount the former president may have to pay closer to $450 million, which would completely wipe out the available cash Trump reportedly has.

The decision followed a lengthy investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James. In a Friday statement, James said "justice has been served" and that now Trump must pay for trying to defraud the state of New York.

"This is a tremendous victory for this state, this nation, and for everyone who believes that we all must play by the same rules — even former presidents," James said. "For years, Donald Trump engaged in massive fraud to falsely inflate his net worth and unjustly enrich himself, his family, and his organization. While he may have authored the Art of the Deal, our case revealed that his business was based on the art of the steal."

Trump lashed out at the ruling, describing it as a "Complete and Total SHAM" and he has also vowed to appeal the financial penalty.

"There were No Victims, No Damages, No Complaints. Only satisfied Banks and Insurance Companies (which made a ton of money), GREAT Financial Statements, that didn't even include the most valuable Asset - The TRUMP Brand," he said.

"All the other side had was a ridiculous $18 million valuation of magnificent Mar-a-Lago, an unConstitutional Gag Order, a Consumer Fraud Statute never before used for this purpose, No Jury allowed, and a refusal to send this disgusting charade to the Commercial Division, where it would have been put to a deserving end."

Booed at Sneaker Con

One day after he was told to pay the $355 penalty, Trump appeared on stage at a major sneaker convention to promote his line of golden "Never Surrender" high top shoes, which are being sold for $399.

"I just want to tell you, I've wanted to do this for a long time," Trump said, while unveiling the sneaker line.

While on stage in Philadelphia, large sections of the crowd could be heard booing the former president, prompting Trump to note there was a "lot of emotion in the room."

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told Newsweek that Trump "wasn't booed" at Sneaker Con and that the former president "had a hero's welcome because everybody knows Crooked Joe Biden is done."

Good News for Trump

Despite all the turmoil that follows Trump, the 77-year-old is still considered the slight favorite to win the 2024 election having all but secured the Republican nomination.

Numerous polls suggest he is ahead of Biden in the expected rematch of 2020's race, including a recent Emerson College survey that found Trump is just ahead of the president by 45 percent to 44 percent.