Was Joe Biden a good president?

Both sidesSays it is contested

Short answer: it depends on what you value. Here’s a compact scorecard of Biden’s 2021–2025 term, with data points people often use to judge presidents.

Where supporters say he did well

•Passed big bills: the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act, which together funded major infrastructure work, expanded U.S. chip manufacturing, and spurred clean‑energy investment. Commerce and IEA report tens of billions in CHIPS awards by late 2024–early 2025 and accelerating clean‑energy spending.[1]

•Jobs and unemployment: total nonfarm payrolls rose by roughly 16 million from January 2021 to January 2025; unemployment generally hovered near historic lows around 3.5–4% in 2023–2025.[2]

•Inflation fell after a painful spike: CPI inflation peaked at about 9.1% in June 2022, then cooled markedly through 2024–2025, moving closer to the 2–3% range.[3]

•Growth held up: after the post‑pandemic rebound, real GDP grew 2.8% in 2024 and about 2.1% in 2025.[4]

•Health costs: the IRA capped insulin at $35/month for Medicare and launched Medicare drug‑price negotiations, with the first negotiated prices taking effect January 1, 2026.[5]

•Crime trend: FBI/independent trackers show violent crime and homicides declined in 2023–2025, with especially sharp homicide drops in big cities.[6]

•Courts: 235 life‑tenured federal judges confirmed (including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson), the most in a single term in decades.[7]

•Alliances: led a large Ukraine aid coalition and oversaw NATO expansion to add Finland (Apr 4, 2023) and Sweden (Mar 7, 2024), strengthening deterrence in Europe.[8]

•Child poverty (2021): the expanded Child Tax Credit helped drive the Supplemental Poverty Measure for children to a record low in 2021.[9]

Where critics say he fell short

•Inflation shock: the 2021–2022 price surge eroded purchasing power before easing; even by 2025, inflation was only back near—but not at—pre‑pandemic norms.[3]

•Deficits and debt: the FY2024 federal deficit was about $1.8 trillion, high by historical standards outside crises.[10]

•Border/migration: encounters at the southwest border hit record highs during FY2022–FY2024, straining processing and services.[11]

•Afghanistan withdrawal: the chaotic 2021 exit culminated in the Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and many Afghan civilians.[12]

•Student‑debt relief: his broad cancellation plan was struck down by the Supreme Court; the administration then delivered narrower, targeted relief via existing authorities.[13]

Bottom line

•If you prioritize legislating, jobs, alliance management, climate/industry policy, and Medicare drug reforms, you’ll likely rate him positively.

•If you weigh the inflation shock, high deficits, the border surge during his term, and the Afghanistan exit most heavily, you’ll likely rate him negatively.

If you tell me which issues matter most to you—economy, prices, immigration, foreign policy, courts, or social policy—I can tailor a more specific assessment.

Citations (13)

1transportation.govGovernment
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Resources | US Department of Transportation
Backs: “Commerce and IEA report tens of billions in CHIPS awards by late 2024–early 2025 and accelerating clean‑energy spending.”
evidence, official document, points to yes. Claim: Biden passed major bills including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS Act, and IRA funding infrastructure, chips, and clean energy.
2archive.vnData and tools
Bureau of Labor Statistics Data
Backs: “Jobs and unemployment: total nonfarm payrolls rose by roughly 16 million from January 2021 to January 2025; unemployment generally hovered near historic lows around 3.5–4% in 2023–2025.”
statistic, data page, points to yes. Claim: Nonfarm payrolls rose roughly 16 million from January 2021 to January 2025; unemployment stayed near historic lows.
3stlouisfed.orgGovernment
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Backs: “CPI inflation peaked at about 9.1% in June 2022, then cooled markedly through 2024–2025, moving closer to the 2–3% range.”
evidence, official document, points to no. Claim: The 2021-2022 price surge eroded purchasing power; inflation was only back near pre-pandemic norms by 2025.
4bea.govGovernment
SCB, GDP and the Economy: Third Estimates for the Fourth Quarter of 2024, April 2025
Backs: “Growth held up: after the post‑pandemic rebound, real GDP grew 2.8% in 2024 and about 2.1% in 2025.”
statistic, official document, points to yes. Claim: Real GDP grew 2.8% in 2024 after post-pandemic rebound.
5cms.govGovernment
Anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act: Update on CMS Implementation | CMS
Backs: “Health costs: the IRA capped insulin at $35/month for Medicare and launched Medicare drug‑price negotiations, with the first negotiated prices taking effect January 1, 2026.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: IRA capped Medicare insulin at $35/month and launched drug-price negotiations with first prices effective January 2026.
6fbi.govGovernment
FBI Releases 2023 Crime in the Nation Statistics — FBI
Backs: “FBI/independent trackers show violent crime and homicides declined in 2023–2025, with especially sharp homicide drops in big cities.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Violent crime and homicides declined in 2023-2025.
7ucsb.eduAcademic
FACT SHEET: President Biden Secures Confirmation of 235th Federal Judge | The American Presidency Project
Backs: “235 life‑tenured federal judges confirmed (including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson), the most in a single term in decades.”
statistic, official document, points to yes. Claim: 235 life-tenured federal judges confirmed, the most in a single term in decades.
8nato.intGovernment
NATO - News: Finland joins NATO as 31st Ally, 04-Apr.-2023
Backs: “Alliances: led a large Ukraine aid coalition and oversaw NATO expansion to add Finland (Apr 4, 2023) and Sweden (Mar 7, 2024), strengthening deterrence in Europe.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: NATO expanded to add Finland and Sweden under Biden, strengthening European deterrence.
9census.govGovernment
Expansions to Child Tax Credit Contributed to 46% Decline in Child Poverty Since 2020
Backs: “Child poverty (2021): the expanded Child Tax Credit helped drive the Supplemental Poverty Measure for children to a record low in 2021.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Expanded Child Tax Credit helped drive child poverty to a record low in 2021.
10cbo.govGovernment
Monthly Budget Review: Summary for Fiscal Year 2024 | Congressional Budget Office
Backs: “Deficits and debt: the FY2024 federal deficit was about $1.8 trillion, high by historical standards outside crises.”
statistic, official document, points to no. Claim: FY2024 federal deficit was about $1.8 trillion, high by historical standards.
11everycrsreport.comEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.91
The Impact of the “Securing the Border” Rule on Migrant Encounters and Processing - EveryCRSReport.com
Backs: “Border/migration: encounters at the southwest border hit record highs during FY2022–FY2024, straining processing and services.”
evidence, official document, points to no. Claim: Southwest border encounters hit record highs during FY2022-FY2024.
12centcom.milGovernment
Statement by U.S. Central Command on the Attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport > U.S. Central Command > U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Official Public Releases
Backs: “Afghanistan withdrawal: the chaotic 2021 exit culminated in the Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and many Afghan civilians.”
evidence, official document, points to no. Claim: Chaotic 2021 Afghanistan exit culminated in the Abbey Gate bombing killing 13 U.S. service members.
13supremecourt.govGovernment
22-506 Biden v. Nebraska (06/30/2023)
Backs: “Student‑debt relief: his broad cancellation plan was struck down by the Supreme Court; the administration then delivered narrower, targeted relief via existing authorities.”
evidence, official document, points to no. Claim: Biden's broad student-debt cancellation plan was struck down by the Supreme Court.