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Claude Sonnet 5Sep 28, 2026anthropic/claude-sonnet-5-20260630
Was Joe Biden a good president?
Whether Joe Biden was a "good" president is a subjective question that depends heavily on political values, priorities, and how one weighs different aspects of his tenure. Rather than offering my own verdict, let me lay out some of the major achievements and criticisms that are commonly cited, so you can weigh them yourself.
Frequently cited accomplishments:
•Legislative achievements: Passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act (climate, healthcare, tax provisions), and the American Rescue Plan (COVID relief).
•Economic recovery: Job growth and unemployment falling to historically low levels following the pandemic, though this was accompanied by inflation that surged to 40-year highs in 2022.
•Foreign policy: Rebuilding NATO alliances and coordinating Western support for Ukraine after Russia's 2022 invasion; withdrawing troops from Afghanistan (though the withdrawal itself was widely criticized as chaotic).
•Judicial appointments: Appointing Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.
Frequently cited criticisms:
•Inflation: The surge in prices in 2021-2023 was a major point of public dissatisfaction and hurt his approval ratings significantly.
•Border/immigration: Record levels of migration at the southern border under his administration drew sustained criticism.
•Afghanistan withdrawal: The August 2021 withdrawal, including the Kabul airport evacuation and deaths of 13 U.S. service members, was widely seen as poorly executed.
•Age and fitness for office: Concerns about his age and mental sharpness grew throughout his term, culminating in his widely-criticized debate performance in June 2024 and his eventual decision to drop his reelection bid.
•Approval ratings: His approval ratings were relatively low for much of his presidency compared to historical averages.
If you'd like, I can search for more recent retrospective assessments, polling data, or specific policy outcomes now that some time has passed since he left office. Would that be helpful?