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GPT-5Nov 7, 2026openai/gpt-5-2025-08-07
Was Joe Biden a good president?
Short answer: reasonable people disagree. Biden had some big legislative and diplomatic wins and presided over a very fast jobs recovery, but he also faced high inflation, a chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, and persistent border/immigration challenges. Whether he was “good” depends on what you value most.
Where supporters say he did well
•Major laws: Passed the American Rescue Plan (COVID relief), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act (semiconductors and R&D), and the Inflation Reduction Act (climate/healthcare/taxes)—the most expansive industrial and climate policy package in decades.
•Jobs and growth: The labor market recovered quickly from the pandemic shock, with unemployment near multi‑decade lows and strong job creation in 2021–2023.
•Manufacturing and investment: Spurred new factory announcements (especially chips, batteries, clean energy) and aimed to reduce supply‑chain dependence on China.
•Climate: Directed the largest federal clean‑energy investment to date, expanded EV and heat‑pump incentives, tightened some emissions rules, and rejoined/strengthened climate diplomacy.
•Alliances and Ukraine: Rebuilt ties with allies, rallied NATO support for Ukraine, strengthened Indo‑Pacific partnerships (e.g., AUKUS).
•Courts and appointments: Appointed a large number of federal judges and the first Black woman to the Supreme Court (Ketanji Brown Jackson).
•Public health: Oversaw mass vaccine/booster rollout and the transition out of the COVID emergency.
Where critics say he fell short
•Inflation and costs: Consumer prices hit a 40‑year high in 2022; although inflation later cooled, many households felt a lasting cost‑of‑living squeeze.
•Afghanistan withdrawal: The August 2021 exit was chaotic and deadly, damaging perceptions of competence.
•Border and immigration: Record migrant encounters strained the system; policy shifted repeatedly and bipartisan reforms stalled.
•Crime and public safety: Elevated concerns in many cities during 2021–2022, with uneven improvements later.
•Energy tradeoffs: Approved some fossil‑fuel projects (e.g., Willow) while pushing clean energy, drawing criticism from both climate activists and drilling advocates.
•Student debt: A sweeping forgiveness plan was struck down by the Supreme Court; later, narrower cancellations helped some but not all borrowers.
Bottom line
•If you prioritize legislative productivity, alliance‑building, climate and industrial policy, and a strong labor market, you’re more likely to judge his presidency positively.
•If you weigh inflation, immigration control, the Afghanistan exit, and skepticism about large federal spending more heavily, you’re more likely to judge it negatively.
If you want, tell me which areas (economy, foreign policy, immigration, climate, etc.) matter most to you, and I can give a more tailored assessment—or I can pull the most recent post‑2024 data to see how those outcomes look over his full term.