Was Joe Biden a good president?

Both sidesSays it is contested

Was Joe Biden a good president? I'll pull together a balanced look at his record — achievements, criticisms, and how polls and historians rate him.

Whether Joe Biden was a "good" president is subjective and depends on what criteria you prioritize. Historians, polls, and public opinion are divided, and his record is generally described as mixed and consequential.

Here is how his presidency from January 20, 2021 to January 20, 2025 is typically assessed:

Achievements often cited by supporters

•Major legislation: The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan COVID relief package enacted in March 2021; the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law funding roads, bridges, rail and broadband; and other manufacturing and infrastructure investments. Other summaries list the Infrastructure & Manufacturing accomplishments as passing the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act to incentivize domestic semiconductor manufacturing.

•CHIPS and Climate/Health: The CHIPS and Science Act provided $52 billion to build factories for computer chips domestically, and the Inflation Reduction Act invested in clean energy, capped insulin prices at $35 for seniors, and allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices. Another assessment notes infrastructure investments via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ($1.2 trillion) and CHIPS and Science Act ($280 billion) and that the Inflation Reduction Act marked the largest climate investment ever ($370 billion).

•Foreign policy: Reentered the Paris Agreement, worked to strengthen NATO and support Ukraine against Russian aggression by imposing sanctions and authorizing aid, and supported Finland and Sweden's bids to join NATO.

•Judicial appointments: Appointed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court and appointed roughly 235 judges over his term, with emphasis on diversity.

•Economy - jobs: Supporters note consistent monthly job creation through his term, with assessments pointing to 2.23 million jobs in his final year driven in part by infrastructure and CHIPS investments.

Supporters also emphasize his role in restoring alliances and managing the COVID recovery, with one analysis calling his presidency "one of remarkable accomplishment" against a fractured backdrop, while noting it lacked the movement-style following of predecessors despite achievements like the pandemic aid package, infrastructure improvements, the CHIPS Act, and climate push.

Criticisms and challenges often cited by opponents

•Afghanistan withdrawal: Withdrew U.S. troops from Afghanistan in a chaotic exit, after which the Taliban swiftly retook control, which produced bipartisan criticism for its execution and diplomatic fallout.

•Inflation and economy: Inflation averaged well above the Federal Reserve target during much of his term — CPI rose 21.3% between December 2020 and December 2024 with an annualized rate near 5.3%, which critics seized on even as wages rose later in the term.

•Immigration and other unmet goals: Comprehensive immigration reform stalled despite proposals, and the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan became a lasting political liability.

•Age and approval: Concerns about Biden's age and health persisted throughout his presidency, and after his performance in the first presidential debate, he withdrew his candidacy for reelection. His presidency is described as combining "pronounced vulnerabilities in crisis management, inflation control and immigration".

One summary of competing narratives concludes:
> The record combines substantive policy accomplishments—in infrastructure, industry policy, drug pricing, social supports and judicial appointments—with glaring failures and political liabilities in Afghanistan, inflation control, border politics, and messaging

How the public and historians have rated him

•Public approval: Gallup reported Biden averaged 42.2% job approval across his four years, placing him as the second-lowest average in Gallup's post-World War II history, and Gallup also flagged his 13th-quarter average of 38.7% ranked near the bottom historically. A Gallup December survey found 54% expect Biden to be rated "below average" or "poor". Gallup also found of the five living men who have served as president, Joe Biden received the lowest favorable rating (39%).

•Historian/scholar rankings: These have been more favorable than public polls. The Siena College Research Institute's 2022 survey ranked Biden 19th, while the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert survey ranked Biden 14th. A February 2024 American Political Science Association poll of historians and scholars also ranked Biden the 14th-greatest president.

Bottom line

Taken together, assessments note tangible policy accomplishments — pandemic relief, infrastructure investment, judicial appointments, drug-pricing steps — with pronounced vulnerabilities in crisis management, inflation control and immigration; proponents emphasize durable institutional changes and recovery-era measures, while critics stress operational failures and electoral consequences.

Whether that balance makes him a "good" president often depends on whether you weight long-term legislative and institutional investments more heavily than short-term management of inflation, the border, and Afghanistan.

Citations (3)

1wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Joe Biden - Wikipedia
Backs: “Whether Joe Biden was a "good" president is subjective and depends on what criteria you prioritize. Historians, polls, and public opinion are divided, and his record is generally described as mixed and consequential.”
background, reference entry, neutral. Claim: Whether Biden was a good president is subjective; historians, polls, and public opinion are divided and his record is mixed and consequential.
2factually.coLow provenance
What Did Joe Biden Accomplish As President?
Backs: “Historians, polls, and public opinion are divided, and his record is generally described as mixed and consequential. Here is how his presidency from January 20, 2021 to January 20, 2025 is typically assessed: Achievements often cited by supporters”
evidence, article, neutral. Claim: Biden's presidency from 2021 to 2025 is typically assessed through achievements like legislation and criticisms like Afghanistan, inflation, and immigration.
3devdiscourse.comNews and media
The Tumultuous Presidency of Joe Biden: A Legacy in Transition | Politics
Backs: “Supporters also emphasize his role in restoring alliances and managing the COVID recovery, with one analysis calling his presidency "one of remarkable accomplishment" against a fractured backdrop, while noting it lacked the movement-style following of predecessors despite achievements like the pandemic aid package,…”
attribution, article, points to yes. Claim: One analysis called Biden's presidency one of remarkable accomplishment against a fractured backdrop, though it lacked a movement-style following.