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GPT-5Sep 16, 2026openai/gpt-5-2025-08-07
Was Joe Biden a good president?
Short answer: it depends on what you value. Biden’s record has clear strengths and notable weaknesses, and reasonable people weigh them differently.
What supporters point to
•Economic recovery after COVID: rapid job growth and unemployment returning to low levels; major pandemic relief early on.
•Big legislation: a bipartisan infrastructure law; CHIPS and Science Act to boost semiconductors; Inflation Reduction Act with historic clean‑energy spending plus Medicare drug‑price negotiation.
•Courts and governance: large number of federal judges confirmed; Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.
•Foreign policy: rallied NATO and other allies in support of Ukraine; strengthened alliances (e.g., AUKUS); more industrial-policy focus on supply chains.
What critics argue
•Cost of living: high inflation in 2021–2023 and higher interest rates that hurt affordability (housing, cars, credit).
•Border and immigration: record migrant encounters and policy reversals that pleased neither side.
•Afghanistan withdrawal: decision widely supported to end the war, but the 2021 exit was chaotic and damaged credibility.
•Energy and regulation: mixed signals on fossil fuels, slow permitting, and broader regulatory push that, critics say, raised costs.
•Fiscal issues: large deficits and debt growth following substantial spending, even if partly tied to pandemic recovery.
Public/historian views
•Job approval was often in the low-to-mid 40s, suggesting a divided public.
•Early scholarly rankings have trended mid-pack so far, reflecting a mixed legacy with significant legislative achievements but major controversies.
If you tell me which criteria matter most to you—economy and prices, foreign policy, climate, immigration, rights and courts, or something else—I can give a more tailored judgment.