Joe Biden was the 46th President of the United States from January 20, 2021 to January 20, 2025. Whether he was a "good" president is subjective and depends on what issues and metrics you prioritize. Here is how his presidency is generally evaluated by supporters and critics:
Arguments often made by supporters:
1. Major Legislation:
•Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021): $1.2 trillion package for roads, bridges, broadband, and power grid.
•CHIPS and Science Act (2022): Funding to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing.
•Inflation Reduction Act (2022): The largest climate investment in U.S. history, plus provisions to lower prescription drug costs and extend health care subsidies.
•PACT Act (2022): Expanded health care benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and toxins.
2. Economy:
•Oversaw recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic recession, with significant job growth and unemployment falling to a 50-year low of 3.4% in 2023.
•Stock market reached record highs during his term.
3. Other Policy Areas:
•Managed the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021.
•Appointed Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.
•Issued executive actions on student loan forgiveness, though the Supreme Court struck down his broadest plan in 2023.
•Rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement and pushed for clean energy goals.
•Strengthened alliances with NATO and allies in support of Ukraine after Russia's 2022 invasion.
Arguments often made by critics:
1. Economy and Inflation:
•Inflation reached a 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022, which critics attributed in part to federal spending. While inflation later fell to around 3%, many voters continued to cite high prices for groceries, housing, and gas.
•National debt continued to increase.
2. Immigration and Border:
•Record numbers of migrant encounters at the southern border, leading to criticism of his border security and immigration policies from Republicans and some Democrats.
3. Foreign Policy:
•The withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 was widely criticized as chaotic, including the deaths of 13 U.S. service members in a suicide bombing at Kabul airport.
•Critics questioned his handling of relations with China and the Middle East.
4. Age and Approval:
•Concerns about his age and fitness for office were a persistent issue, culminating in his poor performance in the June 2024 debate and his subsequent decision to withdraw from the 2024 race.
•His average approval rating was historically low. According to Gallup, he averaged 42.2% approval, with a final approval around 40% leaving office.
Historical and Public Evaluations:
•In public polling, Biden left office with more voters disapproving than approving.
•Among historians, early rankings vary. In the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project survey of historians, Biden was ranked 14th out of 45 presidents, though such rankings are preliminary and often change over time.
In general, Democratic-leaning voters and analysts tend to rate his legislative record and handling of alliances positively, while Republican-leaning voters and analysts tend to rate his handling of inflation, the border, and Afghanistan negatively.
If you have specific policy areas you want to evaluate - such as the economy, foreign policy, or domestic policy - I can provide more detailed data on those.