Was Joe Biden a good president? I'll gather historians' rankings, approval data and key policy results to give you a balanced view.
Whether Joe Biden was a "good" president is subjective and depends on what criteria and political perspective you use. Historians, public opinion polls, and partisan evaluations have differed significantly.
How historians rank him
Historians have tended to rate Biden relatively positively in early retrospective surveys, while noting his legacy is still being written:
•The Siena College Research Institute's 2022 survey ranked Biden 19th out of 45 presidents.
•The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert survey ranked Biden 14th, placing him "way out in front" of his predecessor and ahead of Ronald Reagan in that poll.
•A February 2024 American Political Science Association poll of historians and scholars also ranked Biden the 14th-greatest president, noting that Biden's ranking was unusually high for a presidency without military victories or institutional expansion.
These rankings put him in the top third/middle-to-high among modern presidents, but pollsters noted they diverge from public assessments.
What supporters point to as accomplishments
According to summaries of his tenure, Biden's major legislative and policy actions included:
•The first major legislation signed was the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill
•He signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
•In August 2022, he signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which included federal investment in climate and domestic clean energy, tax credits for solar panels and electric cars, extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, an insulin price cap, and a provision allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices
•Other legislation included the Respect for Marriage Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act - the first major federal gun control law in nearly three decades - the CHIPS and Science Act, the Honoring our PACT Act, and the Electoral Count Reform Act
•He appointed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court — the first Black woman to serve on the court
On the economy, supporters note he oversaw the strongest economic recovery of any G7 nation post COVID-19, breaking a 70-year record for low unemployment and the creation of over 16 million new jobs, the most of any single-term president. The administration also cited investments from the American Rescue Plan, Infrastructure Act, Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS Act to revitalize sectors such as semiconductor manufacturing and green energy.
What critics point to
Public approval and several policy areas were sources of consistent criticism:
•Biden began his term with over 50% approval ratings; however, these fell significantly after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and remained low as the country experienced high inflation and rising gas prices. The same pattern is described as approval falling significantly after the withdrawal from Afghanistan and remaining low during high inflation.
•His age and mental fitness were a frequent subject of discussion throughout his presidency, ultimately culminating in his decision to withdraw his bid for re-election in the 2024 presidential election.
•Critics often point to issues such as inflation, the handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, border security concerns, and economic policies.
•Other critiques cited include inflation that caused hardship, a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, and handling of the southern border and immigration.
Public approval data
Public opinion was more negative than historian rankings:
•Early in his presidency, Gallup measured 57% approval.
•Despite significant wage increases and job growth, public worries regarding inflation contributed to a common perception that Biden was mismanaging the economy. By the end of 2023, the inflation rate had declined to 4.1 percent, but Biden's approval rating (according to Gallup) was only 39 percent.
•During his third full year in office, an average of 39.8% approved of his job performance. Among prior presidents elected to their first term, only Jimmy Carter fared worse in his third year.
•His final Gallup reading before leaving office was 40%, and his average approval rating throughout his entire term stood at 42%, below the historical average of 52% from 1938 to 2024.
Economically, even while job creation and unemployment were positives, median wages stagnated and the share of wealth of the wealthiest 0.1% continued to increase during Biden's time in office.
Bottom line
•If measured by legislative productivity, post-COVID economic recovery and restoration of traditional alliances, supporters consider his presidency successful.
•If measured by public approval, inflation, immigration, the Afghanistan withdrawal, and concerns about age, critics consider it below average.
Historians currently rate him favorably compared to contemporaries, while contemporary polling showed consistently underwater approval in his final years. As with most presidencies, longer-term evaluation will likely depend on the durable effects of the Infrastructure, CHIPS, and Inflation Reduction Act investments and foreign policy outcomes in Ukraine and the Middle East.