Was Joe Biden a good president?

A balanced look at Biden's presidency needs current assessments — I'll gather historians' rankings, approval data and major policy outcomes.

Was Joe Biden a good president is subjective and depends on which metrics you use - historians and the general public have given very different answers.

How historians rank him

In the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey of 154 historians and presidential experts, Biden was ranked in the top third of U.S. presidents:

•Biden was in 14th place, just ahead of Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan

•His overall greatness rating was 62.66, tied with John Adams, while Trump was rated worst at 10.92

Historians who self-identified as conservatives rated him lower (No. 30), while liberals put him 13th and moderates ranked him 20th. Some scholars argued his legacy will be assessed more generously over time, pointing to his "quick action upon taking office to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including expediting vaccinations and steering the American Rescue Plan to passage" which contributed to a "first 100 days more robust in achievement than perhaps any president since FDR"

How the public rated him

Public approval polls were much more negative:

•Gallup found Biden averaged 42.2% job approval during his four years as president, the second lowest in Gallup polling history

•His final Gallup job approval rating was 40%

•His average for his term is just one percentage point higher than that of his predecessor, Donald Trump, who holds the record low

•The low point was a 36% approval rating in July 2024, after his poor performance in the first 2024 presidential candidate debate

Other polling reflects similar sentiment:

•As Biden prepared to leave office, only a quarter of the public viewed him as a great or good president

•54% of U.S. adults believe Biden will be remembered as a "below average" (17%) or "poor" (37%) president

The decline is often dated to mid-2021:

•Biden enjoyed solid ratings above 50% during the first six months of his presidency -- but once his public support declined about midway through his first year in office, it never recovered

•A September 2021 poll taken shortly after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan found job approval dropping to 43%

•Rising inflation, record-high numbers of unauthorized border crossings, and international challenges in Ukraine and the Middle East kept approval in the low 40s or high 30s thereafter

In Gallup's final assessment, majorities of U.S. adults disapproved of Biden's handling of five key issues -- immigration, the economy, foreign affairs, crime and healthcare

Arguments that he was effective

Supporters point to significant legislation and economic recovery:

•The first major legislation was the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act [stimulus bill]

•He signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a ten-year plan to invest in roads, bridges, public transit, ports and broadband

•In August 2022, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which included significant federal investment in climate and domestic clean energy production, tax credits for solar panels, electric cars, a three-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, an insulin price cap, and a provision allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices

•On August 9, 2022, Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act, which authorized $52 billion for domestic semiconductor research

•Together with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act, the law helped spur over $500 billion in private sector manufacturing investments

Foreign policy achievements cited include:

•Restoring the U.S. to a "position of trusted leadership" among democracies, signing AUKUS with Australia and the United Kingdom, and supporting expansion of NATO with Finland and Sweden

•Providing Ukraine with over $100 billion in combined military, economic, and humanitarian aid after the Russian invasion

On the economy, the White House noted:

•Biden oversaw the strongest economic recovery of any G7 nation post COVID-19, breaking a 70-year record for low unemployment, and the creation of over 16 million new jobs, the most of any single term president

Common criticisms

Critics focused on several issues:

•Afghanistan: He completed the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan, during which the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban seized control, leading to bipartisan criticism. About 48% said the administration had done a poor job dealing with the situation in Afghanistan, and critics noted the withdrawal left over $7 billion worth of taxpayer-funded equipment in the hands of the Taliban

•Inflation and the economy: High inflation and rising gas prices kept approval low even as they later decreased

•Border/Immigration: Record-high numbers of unauthorized border crossings were a drag on approval

•Age and fitness: His age and mental fitness were a frequent subject of discussion throughout his presidency, ultimately culminating in his decision to withdraw his bid for re-election in the 2024 presidential election

Gallup's bottom line was that in Americans' evaluation, economic hardships (especially inflation) and international conflicts "evidently outweighed any legislative wins during Biden's presidency, such as historic investments in infrastructure and climate change policy, as well as generally solid GDP growth, low unemployment and record highs in the stock market"

Conclusion

•If judged by legislative output, historians' early rankings, and post-pandemic economic recovery metrics, supporters argue Biden was an above-average, consequential president.

•If judged by public approval, perceptions of the Afghanistan withdrawal, inflation, border management, and concerns about age, critics argue he was a below-average president.

As one summary noted, although some political scientists and historians have rated Biden's presidency favorably, his political legacy is interwoven with the re-election of Trump in 2024, and as Gallup noted, retrospective evaluations of presidents often improve over time compared to their final approval ratings.

1. [In historians' Presidents Day survey, Biden vs. Trump is not a close call](https://www.nprillinois.org/2024-02-19/in-historians-presidents-day-survey-biden-vs-trump-is-not-a-close-call )

Citations (3)

1nprillinois.orgNews and media
In historians' Presidents Day survey, Biden vs. Trump is not a close call
Backs: “In the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey of 154 historians and presidential experts, Biden was ranked in the top third of U.S.”
2gallup.comCompanies
Biden Job Approval Second Lowest Among Post-WWII Presidents
Backs: “Some scholars argued his legacy will be assessed more generously over time, pointing to his "quick action upon taking office to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including expediting vaccinations and steering the American Rescue Plan to passage" which contributed to a "first 100 days more robust in achievement than…”
3wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Presidency of Joe Biden
Backs: “adults disapproved of Biden's handling of five key issues -- immigration, the economy, foreign affairs, crime and healthcare. Arguments that he was effective. Supporters point to significant legislation and economic recovery:”