Was Joe Biden a good president?
It depends on one's priorities, values, and metrics—there's no objective "yes" or "no." Joe Biden's presidency (2021–2025) was highly polarizing, with a solid legislative record and strong post-COVID recovery indicators on one side, offset by high inflation, a chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, record border encounters, and persistently low public approval. His average Gallup job approval was 42.2%, the second-lowest among post-WWII presidents (just above Donald Trump’s first-term 41.1%). He started around 57% and never recovered above 50% after the 2021 Afghanistan exit, ending near 40%.[1]
Public and expert views diverge. A 2024 survey of historians/political scientists ranked him 14th overall (score ~62.7/100), ahead of Reagan and others, partly for restoring traditional norms after Trump and early legislative wins—though later assessments may shift downward due to age concerns, the 2024 election outcome, and end-of-term issues.[2]
Economic Record
The labor market was a clear strength:
Inflation was the major drag: CPI peaked at ~9.0–9.1% in mid-2022 (40-year high), averaged ~5% over the term (vs. ~1.9% prior), and cumulative prices rose ~20–21%. Real wage gains were eroded for many; cost-of-living concerns dominated voter perceptions. Causes included pandemic supply shocks, stimulus (American Rescue Plan), energy/food spikes from the Ukraine war, and demand shifts. It later moderated toward 3%, but the peak damaged popularity.[4]
Major Achievements
Biden secured significant bipartisan and party-line legislation despite narrow margins:
Foreign policy highlights included rallying NATO/allies on Ukraine (preventing quick Russian victory; higher defense spending by members), ending the 20-year Afghanistan war, and industrial policy for supply-chain resilience.
Major Criticisms and Failures
Bottom Line
Biden delivered consequential domestic legislation (infrastructure, industrial policy, climate, health costs) and oversaw a robust jobs recovery from COVID, restoring alliances and ending a long war. These are substantial by historical standards for a one-term president with slim majorities. However, the inflation spike, Afghanistan execution, border volumes, and personal/age factors heavily damaged public standing and left a mixed-to-negative popular legacy for many. Economic pain was real for households even as aggregates looked strong; foreign policy wins were incomplete.
Whether he was “good” hinges on weighting: strong on legislation/jobs/climate for supporters of those priorities; weak on cost of living, borders, competence perceptions, and Afghanistan for critics. Like recent presidents, results were highly partisan. Historians may ultimately view the legislative output more favorably than contemporaneous polls did, but the full verdict will evolve with time and comparisons. Data from official sources (BLS, BEA, CBP, Gallup) and analyses underpin these points; interpretations vary widely by ideology.
Citations (7)
- https://news.gallup.com/poll/655298/biden-job-approval-second-lowest-among-post-wwii-presidents.aspx
Backs: “He started around 57% and never recovered above 50% after the 2021 Afghanistan exit, ending near 40%.”
- https://nytimes.com/2024/02/18/us/politics/biden-trump-presidential-rankings.html
Backs: “A 2024 survey of historians/political scientists ranked him 14th overall (score ~62.7/100), ahead of Reagan and others, partly for restoring traditional norms after Trump and early legislative wins—though later assessments may shift downward due to age concerns, the 2024 election outcome, and end-of-term issues.”
- https://govargus.com/presidents/biden/unemployment
Backs: “Long stretches at/below 4%, with record lows for some demographic groups.”
- https://govargus.com/presidents/biden/inflation
Backs: “It later moderated toward 3%, but the peak damaged popularity.”
- https://www.cfr.org/articles/bidens-legacy-major-accomplishments-unfinished-business
Backs: “Ketanji Brown Jackson (first Black woman Supreme Court justice); efforts on student debt relief (partial successes after court blocks); overtime pay expansions and other regulatory moves.”
- https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/getting-answers-on-afghanistan-withdrawal
Backs: “Supporters note it fulfilled a popular goal of ending endless war.”
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2024/02/11/trump-biden-immigration-border-compared/
Backs: “Surges strained cities/resources; later asylum restrictions and Mexico cooperation lowered numbers significantly by late 2024, but the overall volume and “gotaways” fueled criticism of early policy rollbacks. Comprehensive reform stalled.”