Short answer: it depends on what you value. Here’s a concise, balanced scorecard of Biden’s first term (2021–2025), highlighting widely noted strengths and criticisms.
What supporters point to
•Jobs and growth: Fast post‑pandemic job gains and unemployment near historic lows by 2023–2024; inflation that spiked in 2022 eased notably by late 2023–2024.
•Big legislation:
•American Rescue Plan (COVID relief, 2021)
•Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (roads, bridges, broadband, 2021)
•CHIPS and Science Act (semiconductors, 2022)
•Inflation Reduction Act (clean‑energy investments, Medicare drug negotiation, ACA subsidies, 2022)
•Health and seniors: $35 insulin cap for Medicare, initial Medicare drug‑price negotiations, extended ACA premium subsidies.
•Climate and industry: Largest federal clean‑energy push to date while catalyzing domestic manufacturing of EVs, batteries, and solar.
•Courts and governance: Record pace of federal judicial confirmations; first Black woman on the Supreme Court (Ketanji Brown Jackson).
•Foreign policy: Rebuilt alignment with NATO; sustained support for Ukraine; expanded alliances (e.g., AUKUS).
What critics emphasize
•Cost of living: 2022 inflation surge hurt purchasing power; some households felt the recovery unevenly even as inflation later cooled.
•Fiscal concerns: Large deficits after emergency spending; critics argue some policies added demand or long‑run costs.
•Immigration/border: Record encounters at the southern border; policy shifts and failed bipartisan deal drew fire from both left and right.
•Foreign policy controversies: Chaotic 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal; handling of the Israel‑Hamas war polarized opinion.
•Energy/climate tensions: Expanded oil and gas output alongside clean‑energy push angered both climate activists and fossil‑fuel advocates.
•Legislative limits: Voting‑rights and immigration overhauls stalled; filibuster remained intact.
So, was he a “good” president? If your priorities were rapid labor‑market recovery, major infrastructure and climate/industrial policy, lower prescription costs for seniors, and rebuilding alliances, you’re likely to judge him favorably. If you prioritize low inflation at all times, tighter border controls, faster deficit reduction, or different foreign‑policy choices, you may judge him harshly.
If you’d like, tell me which issues matter most to you (economy, prices, immigration, foreign policy, climate, crime, etc.), and I’ll tailor an assessment. I can also pull the latest 2025–2026 data and expert evaluations to update this snapshot.