Was Joe Biden a good president?

Short answer: it depends on what you value. Here’s a balanced snapshot of Biden’s record since taking office on January 20, 2021.

What supporters view as successes

•Economy and jobs: Fast post‑pandemic recovery, unemployment near historic lows in 2023–24, rising real wages by late 2023, and a manufacturing/clean‑energy investment boom tied to new industrial policies.

•Major laws passed:

•Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (roads, bridges, broadband).

•CHIPS and Science Act (domestic semiconductors, R&D).

•Inflation Reduction Act (largest federal climate investment to date, Medicare drug negotiation starting in 2026, 15% minimum tax on large corporations).

•PACT Act for veterans, Bipartisan Safer Communities Act on guns, Respect for Marriage Act.

•Climate/energy: Rapid growth in EVs, batteries, and renewables; rejoined the Paris Agreement while U.S. oil output also hit records—supporters frame this as pragmatism during energy shocks.

•Foreign policy: Built a broad coalition backing Ukraine, expanded NATO (Finland, then Sweden), launched AUKUS, and emphasized allied coordination in competition with China.

•Courts and governance: High volume of diverse federal judges confirmed; appointed Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson; comparatively conventional, lower‑drama White House process.

What critics argue

•Inflation and costs: 2021–22 price surge eroded purchasing power; mortgage rates and housing costs stayed high, and deficits remained large.

•Border/immigration: Record migrant encounters; enforcement and asylum policy changes seen as inconsistent; a bipartisan border bill faltered.

•Afghanistan withdrawal: Ending the war was popular in principle, but execution in August 2021 was widely criticized.

•Crime and public order: Concern over crime spikes earlier in the term and campus/unrest politics; critics say the administration was reactive.

•Education/loans: Supreme Court blocked the initial broad student‑debt plan; subsequent cancellations via other programs drew legal and fairness objections.

•Israel‑Gaza war response: Strong support for Israel while urging humanitarian relief—praised by some, condemned by others for not pushing a cease‑fire sooner.

How to decide for yourself

•If you prioritize big public investments, allied foreign policy, climate action, and steady institutional norms, you’re more likely to judge him favorably.

•If you prioritize low inflation and borrowing costs, stricter border control, restrained federal spending, and a less activist regulatory approach, you’re more likely to judge him unfavorably.

If you want, I can pull the latest (2026) data on inflation, wages, jobs, migration, and foreign‑policy outcomes to ground this assessment in up‑to‑the‑minute numbers. What aspects matter most to you?

Was Joe Biden a good president?

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