Was Joe Biden a good president?

Both sidesSays it is contested

Whether Joe Biden was a "good" president is a subject of significant debate, with assessments varying sharply between presidential historians, political partisans, and the general public.

Evaluating his presidency (2021–2025) involves weighing a historic level of domestic legislative output against persistent economic frustrations, global instability, and concerns over his age that ultimately led him to step aside from the 2024 presidential race.

The primary arguments in favor of and against his presidency shape his complex legacy:

Arguments in Favor (The Case for a Successful Presidency)

Supporters and many presidential historians view Biden as a highly consequential, transition-defining president who secured landmark achievements under challenging circumstances.

•Major Legislative Achievements: Despite holding razor-thin majorities in Congress during his first two years, Biden signed several historic, bipartisan pieces of legislation into law. These included:

•The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: A $1.2 trillion investment in the nation’s roads, bridges, public transit, and clean water.

•The CHIPS and Science Act: Aimed at boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research to compete with China.

•The Inflation Reduction Act: The largest federal investment in fighting climate change and promoting clean energy in U.S. history, while also allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.

•The American Rescue Plan: A massive COVID-19 relief package passed early in his term to support families and businesses through the pandemic.

•Economic Recovery and Job Growth: Under the Biden administration, the U.S. economy experienced a rapid post-pandemic recovery. Unemployment rates fell to historic lows, job growth reached record numbers, and the U.S. maintained stronger GDP growth than most other developed nations recovering from the pandemic.

•Rebuilding Global Alliances: Following the "America First" foreign policy of the previous administration, Biden worked to repair relationships with traditional allies. He successfully strengthened and expanded NATO (adding Finland and Sweden) in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and coordinated a massive international aid coalition to support Kyiv.

•Judicial Appointments: Biden appointed Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, alongside a record-setting number of diverse federal judges.

•Student Debt Relief: Despite legal challenges and a Supreme Court ruling blocking his initial broad-based loan forgiveness plan, his administration used alternative federal pathways to cancel more than $175 billion in student debt for millions of borrowers.

Arguments Against (The Case for an Unsuccessful Presidency)

Critics, political opponents, and many members of the public point to significant failures and crises that defined the Biden years, arguing that his policies worsened the country's economic and social stability.

•Inflation and Cost of Living: The defining domestic issue of the Biden presidency was high inflation, which reached a 40-year peak of 9.1% in 2022. While inflation eventually cooled, the high cost of groceries, housing, and gas—along with the Federal Reserve raising interest rates to combat inflation—left many Americans feeling financially strained and dissatisfied with his economic management. Critics blamed his large-scale spending packages, such as the American Rescue Plan, for fueling this inflation.

•Immigration and Border Security: The southern U.S. border saw record numbers of migrant crossings during Biden's term. Critics accused his administration of failing to secure the border and creating a humanitarian and administrative crisis that strained the resources of major U.S. cities, including many run by Democrats.

•Foreign Policy Setbacks:

•The Afghanistan Withdrawal: The chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, which resulted in the rapid Taliban takeover and the deaths of 13 U.S. service members, severely damaged Biden’s public approval ratings and was widely criticized as a planning failure.

•Middle East Instability: His administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas war heavily polarized the nation. Progressive Democrats criticized Biden for providing unconditional military support to Israel, while conservative critics accused him of showing weakness and failing to deter regional adversaries like Iran.

•Age and Leadership Concerns: Questions surrounding Biden's age, physical stamina, and cognitive fitness dogged him throughout his presidency. After a highly criticized debate performance in June 2024, pressure from within his own party forced him to withdraw from the presidential race, raising questions about his ability to lead and leading some to view his term as a period of political transition rather than transformative leadership.

•The Return of Donald Trump: Because Biden's primary campaign promise in 2020 was to "heal" the nation's political divide and prevent the return of his predecessor, Trump's subsequent victory in the 2024 election led some political analysts to argue that Biden’s political legacy was ultimately cut short, representing an interlude rather than a permanent political realignment.

Historical Rankings vs. Public Opinion

There is a notable divide in how Biden is viewed by academic experts versus how he is remembered by the general public:

•Scholarly Assessments: In surveys of presidential historians and political scientists, Biden has generally received highly favorable marks. For example, the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey ranked Biden as the 14th-best president in U.S. history, placing him in the top third of all presidents. Scholars praised his ability to restore democratic norms, his legislative efficacy, and his efforts to stabilize the international order.

•Public Perception: Conversely, public opinion has been much harsher. A Gallup poll conducted at the end of his term in January 2025 found that 54% of Americans expected history to judge Biden's presidency as "below average" or "poor," while only 19% believed he would be remembered as "outstanding" or "above average." This high level of public dissatisfaction was heavily driven by partisan divisions and deep-seated economic frustration over inflation.

Ultimately, whether Joe Biden was a "good" president depends on what a voter or historian prioritizes: his substantial list of legislative and environmental achievements, or the persistent inflation, border challenges, and global instability that overshadowed the final years of his term.

Citations (8)

1unimelb.edu.auAcademic
unimelb.edu.au
Backs: “Evaluating his presidency (2021–2025) involves weighing a historic level of domestic legislative output against persistent economic frustrations, global instability, and concerns over his age that ultimately led him to step aside from the 2024 presidential race.”
background, other, neutral. Claim: Evaluating Biden's presidency involves weighing legislative output against economic frustrations, global instability, and age concerns that led him to leave the 2024 race.
2princeton.eduAcademic
princeton.edu
Backs: “Evaluating his presidency (2021–2025) involves weighing a historic level of domestic legislative output against persistent economic frustrations, global instability, and concerns over his age that ultimately led him to step aside from the 2024 presidential race.”
background, other, neutral. Claim: Evaluating Biden's presidency involves weighing legislative output against economic frustrations, global instability, and age concerns that led him to leave the 2024 race.
3youtube.comSocial media and video
youtube.com
Backs: “Supporters and many presidential historians view Biden as a highly consequential, transition-defining president who secured landmark achievements under challenging circumstances.”
attribution, social or video, points to yes. Claim: Supporters and many presidential historians view Biden as a consequential, transition-defining president who secured landmark achievements.
4cfr.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cfr.org
Backs: “Major Legislative Achievements: Despite holding razor-thin majorities in Congress during his first two years, Biden signed several historic, bipartisan pieces of legislation into law. These included:”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Despite razor-thin congressional majorities, Biden signed several historic, bipartisan pieces of legislation.
5democratsabroad.orgNonprofits and think tanks
democratsabroad.org
Backs: “The Inflation Reduction Act: The largest federal investment in fighting climate change and promoting clean energy in U.S. history, while also allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices. The American Rescue Plan: A massive COVID-19 relief package passed early in his term to support families and businesses…”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: The Inflation Reduction Act was the largest federal climate and clean energy investment and let Medicare negotiate drug prices.
6springerprofessional.deAcademic
springerprofessional.de
Backs: “Student Debt Relief: Despite legal challenges and a Supreme Court ruling blocking his initial broad-based loan forgiveness plan, his administration used alternative federal pathways to cancel more than $175 billion in student debt for millions of borrowers.”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Administration canceled more than $175 billion in student debt through alternative pathways despite the Supreme Court blocking the initial plan.
7gallup.comCompanies
gallup.com
Backs: “Critics, political opponents, and many members of the public point to significant failures and crises that defined the Biden years, arguing that his policies worsened the country's economic and social stability. Inflation and Cost of Living: The defining domestic issue of the Biden presidency was high inflation, which…”
attribution, data page, points to no. Claim: Critics, opponents and many members of the public point to significant failures and crises, arguing his policies worsened economic and social stability.
8uh.eduAcademic
uh.edu
Backs: “For example, the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey ranked Biden as the 14th-best president in U.S. history, placing him in the top third of all presidents. Scholars praised his ability to restore democratic norms, his legislative efficacy, and his efforts to stabilize the international order.”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: 2024 Presidential Greatness Project survey ranked Biden 14th-best president, praising his restoration of norms and legislative efficacy.