Was Joe Biden a good president?

Assessing whether Joe Biden was a "good" president depends on the criteria used for evaluation, as his legacy remains a subject of intense debate.

Among presidential historians and political scientists, Biden’s presidency (2021–2025) has generally been viewed favorably. In the Presidential Greatness Project survey of scholars, Biden was ranked 14th out of 45 presidents, placing him in the top third of U.S. executives. Conversely, public opinion of his tenure was deeply polarized. When he prepared to leave office in January 2025, his average job approval hovered around 39% to 42%, reflecting a nation sharply divided along partisan lines.

Below is an overview of the key arguments from his supporters, critics, and historical assessments.

The Case for a Successful Presidency (The Supporters' View)

Supporters of the Biden-Harris administration argue that Biden was a highly consequential president who successfully navigated the U.S. through a once-in-a-generation pandemic and secured a historic domestic legislative agenda despite razor-thin congressional majorities.

•Major Legislative Achievements: Supporters point to a string of landmark, often bipartisan, bills as the cornerstone of his legacy. These include:

•The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (2021): A historic $1.2 trillion investment in roads, bridges, public transit, clean water, and broadband.

•The CHIPS and Science Act (2022): Billions aimed at boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research to compete with China.

•The Inflation Reduction Act (2022): The largest federal investment in climate change and green energy in U.S. history, which also allowed Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and capped insulin costs for seniors.

•The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022): The first major federal gun safety legislation passed in nearly three decades.

•Economic Recovery: Under Biden’s watch, the U.S. economy experienced a rapid post-pandemic job recovery, adding over 15 million jobs and pushing unemployment down to historic lows. Real GDP growth in the U.S. consistently outpaced international G7 and European peers.

•Rebuilding Alliances: On the world stage, Biden repaired traditional alliances and strengthened NATO—welcoming Finland and Sweden into the alliance—while successfully rallying a global coalition to support Ukraine after the 2022 Russian invasion.

•Diverse Judicial Appointments: He nominated and secured the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black female Supreme Court Justice, alongside a historically diverse group of federal judges.

•Passing the Torch: When Biden ended his reelection campaign in July 2024, his supporters viewed it as a selfless, historic act of statesmanship to protect democratic norms and allow a younger generation of leaders to emerge.

The Case for an Unsuccessful Presidency (The Critics' View)

Critics—primarily Republicans, independents, and some progressive Democrats—argue that his policies directly harmed the country's economy, weakened its borders, and projected frailty on the international stage.

•Inflation and Cost of Living: Opponents argue that massive federal spending—starting with the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in 2021—overheated the economy and triggered historic inflation, which peaked at 9.1% in June 2022. High prices for food, gas, and housing severely eroded working-class purchasing power, and subsequent Federal Reserve interest rate hikes made borrowing and buying homes difficult.

•The Southern Border Crisis: Under the Biden administration, migrant crossings at the U.S.–Mexico border reached record-high levels. Critics blamed Biden’s early rollbacks of Trump-era immigration policies for fueling the surge, which strained resources in border states as well as major interior cities.

•Foreign Policy Failures:

•The Afghanistan Withdrawal (2021): Critics and even some allies point to the chaotic and deadly U.S. military exit from Kabul—which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and the rapid return of the Taliban—as a major failure that permanently damaged the administration’s credibility.

•Global Instability: Opponents argue that the outbreak of major wars in Europe (Ukraine) and the Middle East (Gaza) happened because America projected a posture of weakness abroad. Furthermore, Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war drew anger from both sides: conservatives believed he was not supportive enough of Israel, while progressives criticized his ongoing military aid despite mounting civilian casualties in Gaza.

•Cognitive Decline and Campaign Transparency: Critics argued that the Biden administration and the Democratic Party were dishonest about the president's aging and cognitive decline. His struggling performance in the June 2024 debate forced him to abandon his campaign, which opponents argued was a crisis of transparency that ultimately led to the return of Donald Trump to the White House.

Conclusion

Whether Joe Biden is remembered as a "good" president depends largely on what is being measured.

If judged by legislative productivity and structural domestic investment, historians argue that Biden was a highly successful president who achieved historic policy goals with one of the narrowest congressional majorities in U.S. history.

However, if judged by economic stability and immediate public satisfaction, his presidency is viewed much more critically, overshadowed by the painful erosion of household budgets due to inflation, ongoing global instability, and his struggle with the physical demands of the office.

Citations (15)

1unimelb.edu.auAcademic
unimelb.edu.au
Backs: “Assessing whether Joe Biden was a "good" president depends on the criteria used for evaluation, as his legacy remains a subject of intense debate.”
2reddit.comForums and Q&A
reddit.com
Backs: “Assessing whether Joe Biden was a "good" president depends on the criteria used for evaluation, as his legacy remains a subject of intense debate.”
3uh.eduAcademic
uh.edu
Backs: “Among presidential historians and political scientists, Biden’s presidency (2021–2025) has generally been viewed favorably. In the Presidential Greatness Project survey of scholars, Biden was ranked 14th out of 45 presidents, placing him in the top third of U.S.”
4latimes.comNews and mediaquality 0.85
latimes.com
Backs: “Among presidential historians and political scientists, Biden’s presidency (2021–2025) has generally been viewed favorably. In the Presidential Greatness Project survey of scholars, Biden was ranked 14th out of 45 presidents, placing him in the top third of U.S.”
5port.ac.ukAcademic
port.ac.uk
Backs: “Among presidential historians and political scientists, Biden’s presidency (2021–2025) has generally been viewed favorably. In the Presidential Greatness Project survey of scholars, Biden was ranked 14th out of 45 presidents, placing him in the top third of U.S.”
6apnorc.orgAcademic
apnorc.org
Backs: “Conversely, public opinion of his tenure was deeply polarized. When he prepared to leave office in January 2025, his average job approval hovered around 39% to 42%, reflecting a nation sharply divided along partisan lines.”
7infobase.comNot yet classified
infobase.com
Backs: “Below is an overview of the key arguments from his supporters, critics, and historical assessments.”
8pbs.orgNews and mediaquality 0.87
pbs.org
Backs: “Supporters of the Biden-Harris administration argue that Biden was a highly consequential president who successfully navigated the U.S. through a once-in-a-generation pandemic and secured a historic domestic legislative agenda despite razor-thin congressional majorities. Major Legislative Achievements: Supporters…”
9facebook.comSocial media and video
facebook.com
Backs: “These include: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (2021): A historic $1.2 trillion investment in roads, bridges, public transit, clean water, and broadband. The CHIPS and Science Act (2022): Billions aimed at boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research to compete with China.”
10businessinsider.comNews and mediaquality 0.80
businessinsider.com
Backs: “These include: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (2021): A historic $1.2 trillion investment in roads, bridges, public transit, clean water, and broadband. The CHIPS and Science Act (2022): Billions aimed at boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research to compete with China.”
11millercenter.orgAcademic
millercenter.org
Backs: “Passing the Torch: When Biden ended his reelection campaign in July 2024, his supporters viewed it as a selfless, historic act of statesmanship to protect democratic norms and allow a younger generation of leaders to emerge. ---. The Case for an Unsuccessful Presidency (The Critics' View)”
12house.govGovernment
house.gov
Backs: “Critics—primarily Republicans, independents, and some progressive Democrats—argue that his policies directly harmed the country's economy, weakened its borders, and projected frailty on the international stage. Inflation and Cost of Living: Opponents argue that massive federal spending—starting with the $1.9 trillion…”
13moderndiplomacy.euNews and media
moderndiplomacy.eu
Backs: “Critics—primarily Republicans, independents, and some progressive Democrats—argue that his policies directly harmed the country's economy, weakened its borders, and projected frailty on the international stage. Inflation and Cost of Living: Opponents argue that massive federal spending—starting with the $1.9 trillion…”
14port.ac.ukAcademic
port.ac.uk
Backs: “Inflation and Cost of Living: Opponents argue that massive federal spending—starting with the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in 2021—overheated the economy and triggered historic inflation, which peaked at 9.1% in June 2022. High prices for food, gas, and housing severely eroded working-class purchasing power, and…”
15pewresearch.orgNonprofits and think tanks
pewresearch.org
Backs: “Critics blamed Biden’s early rollbacks of Trump-era immigration policies for fueling the surge, which strained resources in border states as well as major interior cities. Foreign Policy Failures:”