Was Joe Biden a good president?

Both sidesSays it is contested

Short answer: it depends on what you value most. By most mainstream measures, Biden’s single term (January 20, 2021–January 20, 2025) was consequential and mixed—big legislative wins and a strong labor market recovery alongside a painful inflation spike, a messy Afghanistan exit, and persistent border pressures.

What supporters point to

•Major laws with lasting investment: a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package ($550 billion in new spending), the $52.7 billion CHIPS and Science Act to reshore semiconductors, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) with large climate/clean‑energy and health provisions.[1]

•Job market resilience after COVID: unemployment hovered around 4% by late 2024 and the economy avoided recession even as growth cooled.[2]

•Inflation came down from a 9.1% CPI peak in June 2022 to roughly the low‑3% range by late 2024, while the Fed aimed for a “soft landing.”[3]

•Health care cost steps: the IRA capped insulin for Medicare at $35/month and launched Medicare drug‑price negotiations; first 10 negotiated prices were announced in 2024 and are scheduled to take effect January 1, 2026.[4]

•Foreign policy: rallied and sustained U.S. and allied support for Ukraine and helped expand NATO—Finland joined April 4, 2023; Sweden on March 7, 2024.[5]

•Courts: record judicial confirmations for a single four‑year term (about 235 Article III judges, including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court), shifting the federal bench’s makeup.[6]

•Crime trends improved: FBI estimates show violent crime fell in 2023 and again in 2024 compared with the prior year.[7]

•Energy/climate paradox that some see as pragmatic: while the IRA spurred clean‑energy buildout, U.S. oil output hit record highs, enhancing energy security.[8]

What critics point to

•The 2021–2022 inflation surge hit living costs hard before easing; critics argue fiscal stimulus (e.g., the 2021 American Rescue Plan) helped overheat demand.[3]

•Border pressures remained historic, prompting a June 2024 proclamation restricting entry/asylum eligibility during high encounter periods; courts and Congress remained gridlocked on broader reform.[9]

•Afghanistan withdrawal (August 2021) was chaotic and deadly (13 U.S. service members and many civilians killed at Abbey Gate).[10]

•Student‑debt relief: the Supreme Court struck down the mass‑forgiveness plan in June 2023; the administration pivoted to narrower cancellations and a new income‑driven repayment (SAVE) plan.[11]

•Deficits re‑widened after falling from pandemic highs: FY2023 ended at about $1.7 trillion and FY2024 at about $1.8 trillion.[12]

•Environmental trade‑offs: approval of the Willow oil project in Alaska angered climate advocates.[13]

Bottom line

•If you prioritize big‑ticket industrial policy and infrastructure, expanded health benefits for seniors, NATO cohesion, and a jobs recovery with a soft landing, you’re likely to view Biden as effective. If you weight the inflation shock, border management, the Afghanistan exit, and larger recent deficits more heavily, you may judge him harshly. Reasonable people differ because they weight these outcomes differently.

If you tell me which issues matter most to you (economy, foreign policy, immigration, climate, courts, etc.), I can give a more tailored verdict with the specifics you care about.

Citations (13)

1dot.govGovernment
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) / Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) | PHMSA
Backs: “Major laws with lasting investment: a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package ($550 billion in new spending), the $52.7 billion CHIPS and Science Act to reshore semiconductors, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) with large climate/clean‑energy and health provisions.”
evidence, official document, points to yes. Claim: Biden signed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package with $550 billion in new spending, alongside CHIPS and IRA.
2bls.govGovernment
Employment Situation News Release - 2024 M13 Results
Backs: “Job market resilience after COVID: unemployment hovered around 4% by late 2024 and the economy avoided recession even as growth cooled.”
statistic, official document, points to yes. Claim: Unemployment hovered around 4% by late 2024 and the economy avoided recession.
3bls.govGovernment
Consumer Price Index - June 2022
Backs: “Inflation came down from a 9.1% CPI peak in June 2022 to roughly the low‑3% range by late 2024, while the Fed aimed for a “soft landing.””
evidence, official document, points to no. Claim: The 2021-2022 inflation surge hit living costs hard; critics blame fiscal stimulus.
4medicare.govGovernment
Insulin
Backs: “Health care cost steps: the IRA capped insulin for Medicare at $35/month and launched Medicare drug‑price negotiations; first 10 negotiated prices were announced in 2024 and are scheduled to take effect January 1, 2026.”
evidence, official document, points to yes. Claim: IRA capped Medicare insulin at $35/month and launched drug-price negotiations.
5everycrsreport.comEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.91
U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine Since 2022 - EveryCRSReport.com
Backs: “Foreign policy: rallied and sustained U.S. and allied support for Ukraine and helped expand NATO—Finland joined April 4, 2023; Sweden on March 7, 2024.”
evidence, reference entry, points to yes. Claim: Biden sustained US and allied support for Ukraine and helped expand NATO with Finland and Sweden.
6pewresearch.orgNonprofits and think tanks
How Biden’s judge appointments compare with other presidents | Pew Research Center
Backs: “Courts: record judicial confirmations for a single four‑year term (about 235 Article III judges, including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court), shifting the federal bench’s makeup.”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Biden confirmed about 235 Article III judges, a record for a single term, including Justice Jackson.
7fbi.govGovernment
FBI Releases 2023 Crime in the Nation Statistics — FBI
Backs: “FBI estimates show violent crime fell in 2023 and again in 2024 compared with the prior year.”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: FBI estimates show violent crime fell in 2023 and 2024.
8eia.govGovernment
United States produces more crude oil than any country, ever - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
Backs: “Energy/climate paradox that some see as pragmatic: while the IRA spurred clean‑energy buildout, U.S. oil output hit record highs, enhancing energy security.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: US oil output hit record highs, enhancing energy security.
9ucsb.eduAcademic
Proclamation 10773—Securing the Border | The American Presidency Project
Backs: “Border pressures remained historic, prompting a June 2024 proclamation restricting entry/asylum eligibility during high encounter periods; courts and Congress remained gridlocked on broader reform.”
evidence, official document, points to no. Claim: Border pressures stayed historic, prompting a June 2024 proclamation restricting entry and asylum.
10defense.govGovernment
U.S. Central Command Releases Report on August Abbey Gate Attack > U.S. Department of Defense > Defense Department News
Backs: “Afghanistan withdrawal (August 2021) was chaotic and deadly (13 U.S. service members and many civilians killed at Abbey Gate).”
evidence, article, points to no. Claim: Afghanistan withdrawal was chaotic and deadly, with 13 US service members killed at Abbey Gate.
11scotusblog.comNews and mediaquality 0.87
Supreme Court strikes down Biden student-loan forgiveness program - SCOTUSblog
Backs: “Student‑debt relief: the Supreme Court struck down the mass‑forgiveness plan in June 2023; the administration pivoted to narrower cancellations and a new income‑driven repayment (SAVE) plan.”
evidence, article, points to no. Claim: Supreme Court struck down mass student-debt forgiveness in June 2023.
12treasury.govGovernment
Joint Statement of Janet L. Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury, and Shalanda D. Young, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, on Budget Results for Fiscal Year 2023 | U.S. Department of the Treasury
Backs: “FY2023 ended at about $1.7 trillion and FY2024 at about $1.8 trillion.”
statistic, official document, points to no. Claim: Deficits re-widened, with FY2023 at about $1.7 trillion and FY2024 about $1.8 trillion.
13doi.govGovernment
Interior Department Substantially Reduces Scope of Willow Project | U.S. Department of the Interior
Backs: “Environmental trade‑offs: approval of the Willow oil project in Alaska angered climate advocates.”
evidence, official document, points to no. Claim: Approval of the Willow oil project angered climate advocates.