Whether Joe Biden was a "good" president is a matter of political opinion, and reasonable people disagree based on their values and priorities. Rather than give you my own verdict, here's a balanced overview of his record so you can judge for yourself:
Often cited as achievements:
•Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021) – a bipartisan bill directing money to roads, bridges, broadband, and other infrastructure.
•Inflation Reduction Act (2022) – included major climate spending, allowed Medicare to negotiate some drug prices, and extended ACA subsidies.
•CHIPS and Science Act (2022) – aimed at boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing.
•COVID-19 response – oversaw continued vaccine rollout and economic recovery efforts, including the American Rescue Plan.
•Job growth and low unemployment for much of his term.
•NATO/Ukraine support – rallied Western allies to support Ukraine after Russia's 2022 invasion.
•Bipartisan gun safety legislation (2022), the first major federal gun law in decades.
Often cited as criticisms/failures:
•Inflation – prices rose sharply in 2021–2022, the highest in four decades, straining household budgets, and many economists debate how much stimulus spending contributed.
•Afghanistan withdrawal (2021) – widely criticized as chaotic, including the Kabul airport evacuation and the deaths of 13 U.S. service members.
•Border and immigration policy – record levels of migration and border crossings became a major political liability.
•Age and mental acuity concerns – questions about his fitness for office grew throughout his term, culminating in a disastrous debate performance in June 2024 that led him to drop his reelection bid.
•Israel-Gaza war – his handling of the conflict drew criticism from multiple directions, including from parts of his own party.
•Concerns about government spending and deficits under his administration.
Broader context:
His approval ratings were generally low for a sitting president during much of his term, and he became the first incumbent in over 50 years to abandon a reelection campaign after securing his party's implicit backing, following pressure over his age and debate performance.
If you want, I can dig deeper into any specific policy area (economy, foreign policy, judicial appointments, etc.) or look at how historians/political scientists are currently assessing his legacy.