Was Joe Biden a good president?

Whether Joe Biden was a "good" president is a subject of significant debate. Like many of his predecessors, his legacy is highly polarized, with evaluations differing sharply based on political viewpoints and the specific issues prioritized.

Historians, economists, and the public often analyze his term (2021–2025) by weighing his historic legislative achievements against persistent economic challenges and complex foreign policy crises.

Arguments in Favor of His Presidency (The Achievements)

Supporters and center-left historians argue that Biden was a highly consequential president who achieved remarkable legislative and economic victories under extremely difficult circumstances.

•Major Legislative Accomplishments: Despite holding the narrowest of majorities in Congress, Biden successfully passed several landmark pieces of legislation:

•The American Rescue Plan (2021): A $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that funded vaccine distribution, sent direct stimulus checks to Americans, and temporarily cut child poverty to historic lows.

•The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021): A massive, bipartisan $1.2 trillion investment in the nation’s roads, bridges, public transit, clean water, and broadband access.

•The CHIPS and Science Act (2022): A bipartisan effort to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research, aimed at reducing U.S. reliance on foreign supply chains.

•The Inflation Reduction Act (2022): The largest federal investment in climate change and clean energy in U.S. history, which also allowed Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and capped insulin costs for seniors.

•Strong Economic Recovery: Under the Biden administration, the U.S. experienced one of the strongest post-pandemic economic recoveries among G7 nations. It saw the creation of over 16 million jobs, historically low unemployment rates (which remained under 4% for the longest stretch in decades), and robust GDP growth.

•Restoring Traditional Foreign Alliances: Biden repaired relations with key international allies, particularly NATO. He successfully rallied global support to aid Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion, bolstering international democratic coalitions.

•Social Policy and Diversity: Biden appointed Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black female Supreme Court Justice and made historic diverse appointments across the federal judiciary and cabinet. He also implemented several rounds of student loan forgiveness despite legal roadblocks from the Supreme Court.

Criticisms and Failures (The Challenges)

Critics, particularly conservatives and independents, argue that Biden's policies exacerbated economic pain at home and projected weakness abroad, leading to a decline in public trust.

•Inflation and the Cost of Living: The defining domestic issue of the Biden presidency was high inflation, which peaked at 9.1% in mid-2022—the highest in 40 years. Critics blamed the administration’s large-scale spending packages (such as the American Rescue Plan) for overheating the economy. Even as inflation slowed, the cumulative rise in the cost of groceries, housing, and gas severely strained household budgets and damaged Biden's approval ratings.

•Border Security and Immigration: Biden’s handling of the southern border was a major source of criticism. Critics pointed to record numbers of migrant encounters and crossings, arguing that the administration's reversal of several strict Trump-era border policies created a humanitarian and security crisis.

•Foreign Policy Setbacks:

•The Afghanistan Withdrawal (2021): The chaotic and deadly U.S. military exit from Afghanistan, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and the rapid return of the Taliban, was widely criticized as a strategic disaster that damaged American credibility.

•Global Instability: Opponents argued that the outbreak of major conflicts—including the war in Ukraine and the devastating war in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attacks—reflected a failure of U.S. deterrence. Furthermore, Biden's staunch support for Israel drew severe criticism from the progressive wing of his own party over humanitarian concerns in Gaza.

•Age and Political Handling: Biden's age and visible physical decline became central concerns. His insistence on running for re-election in 2024, only to withdraw late in the campaign (July 2024) under heavy pressure, was viewed by some as political obstinacy that ultimately left the Democratic Party in a compromised position ahead of the 2024 election.

Overall Assessment

Public opinion of Joe Biden’s presidency remains deeply divided along partisan lines:

•In Public Polls: At the end of his presidency in early 2025, Biden’s job approval rating hovered around 39%. Polling indicated that only about a quarter of Americans viewed his presidency as "great" or "good," with many respondents reporting that they did not feel better off financially compared to when he took office.

•In Historical Rankings: Political scientists and presidential scholars often rate Biden more favorably than the general public does, frequently placing him in the upper-middle tier of U.S. presidents due to the sheer volume of his legislative accomplishments. However, general consensus remains that his domestic policy victories were largely overshadowed in the public eye by the painful squeeze of inflation and global instability.

Citations (9)

1princeton.eduAcademic
princeton.edu
Backs: “Whether Joe Biden was a "good" president is a subject of significant debate.”
2gallup.comCompanies
gallup.com
Backs: “Like many of his predecessors, his legacy is highly polarized, with evaluations differing sharply based on political viewpoints and the specific issues prioritized.”
3apnorc.orgAcademic
apnorc.org
Backs: “Like many of his predecessors, his legacy is highly polarized, with evaluations differing sharply based on political viewpoints and the specific issues prioritized.”
4millercenter.orgAcademic
millercenter.org
Backs: “Historians, economists, and the public often analyze his term (2021–2025) by weighing his historic legislative achievements against persistent economic challenges and complex foreign policy crises.”
5infobase.comNot yet classified
infobase.com
Backs: “Supporters and center-left historians argue that Biden was a highly consequential president who achieved remarkable legislative and economic victories under extremely difficult circumstances.”
6cfr.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cfr.org
Backs: “Supporters and center-left historians argue that Biden was a highly consequential president who achieved remarkable legislative and economic victories under extremely difficult circumstances.”
7wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
wikipedia.org
Backs: “Strong Economic Recovery: Under the Biden administration, the U.S. experienced one of the strongest post-pandemic economic recoveries among G7 nations. It saw the creation of over 16 million jobs, historically low unemployment rates (which remained under 4% for the longest stretch in decades), and robust GDP growth.”
8study.comNot yet classified
study.com
Backs: “Social Policy and Diversity: Biden appointed Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black female Supreme Court Justice and made historic diverse appointments across the federal judiciary and cabinet. He also implemented several rounds of student loan forgiveness despite legal roadblocks from the Supreme Court.”
9moderndiplomacy.euNews and media
moderndiplomacy.eu
Backs: “Critics, particularly conservatives and independents, argue that Biden's policies exacerbated economic pain at home and projected weakness abroad, leading to a decline in public trust. Inflation and the Cost of Living: The defining domestic issue of the Biden presidency was high inflation, which peaked at 9.1% in…”