Was Joe Biden a good president?

Was Biden a good president? I'll pull the record on his policy results and how historians rank him to give a balanced look.

Whether Joe Biden was a good president is subjective and evaluations differ depending on criteria, political perspective, and which metrics are emphasized.

Overall Assessments

Two different types of evaluations illustrate the divide:

•Historians' expert survey: The 2024 edition of the Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey of 154 historians and presidential experts rated Biden in 14th place, just ahead of Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan. The survey placed him in the top third of U.S. presidents in that ranking.

•Public approval: Gallup polling found Biden averaged 42.2% job approval during his four years as president, the second lowest in Gallup polling history. His average was just one point higher than his predecessor, who holds the record low. His final monthly rating in Jan. 2-15 was 40%.

Gallup noted that once his support declined about midway through his first year, it never recovered. The first drop came in July 2021 amid rising COVID infections, then a September 2021 poll shortly after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan found approval dropping to 43%.

Analysts have noted that initially poor retrospective evaluations may improve over time, as has happened for some other presidents.

What Supporters Cite as Accomplishments

As president, Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and recession, signed bipartisan bills on infrastructure and manufacturing, and proposed the Build Back Better Act, part of which was incorporated into the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022.

Those major legislative achievements are commonly listed as:

•American Rescue Plan ($1.9T COVID relief), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ($1.2T), the CHIPS Act ($52B semiconductor investment), and the Inflation Reduction Act ($369B climate — the largest climate legislation in US history)

In November 2021, he signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, aimed at modernizing roads, bridges, transit systems, broadband internet, and water infrastructure.

Other points cited by supporters include record job creation and business formation, industrial policy, veterans' toxic-exposure law, reduced prescription-drug costs, appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, reentering the Paris Agreement, and leading the response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gallup's analysis noted that legislative wins such as historic investments in infrastructure and climate change policy occurred alongside generally solid GDP growth, low unemployment and record highs in the stock market.

What Critics Cite as Shortcomings

Criticisms frequently focused on:

•Economy and inflation: Inflation peaking at 9.1% and the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal were primary drags on approval throughout his term. Other critics noted inflation soared, hitting American families at the pump and grocery store. Rising inflation, record-high numbers of unauthorized border crossings and international challenges kept approval in the low 40s or high 30s thereafter.

•Immigration and border: Critics noted the border crisis reached historic levels, with over 7 million illegal crossings. Data summary notes that illegal border crossings at the Mexico-United States border began to surge when Biden assumed office.

•Foreign policy - Afghanistan: Biden withdrew U.S. troops from Afghanistan pursuant to the 2020 Doha Accords negotiated by Trump, and the Taliban swiftly retook control. The withdrawal was described as chaotic and as signaling weakness.

•Age, health and political durability: Concerns about Biden's age and health persisted throughout his presidency. Gallup noted his low point was 36% approval in July 2024 after his poor performance in the first 2024 presidential debate, completed mostly before he announced he would drop out amid pressure from Democratic leaders.

Bottom Line

Supporters tend to evaluate Biden based on legislative output, infrastructure and climate investment, and restoration of alliances, while critics weigh inflation, border security, and the Afghanistan withdrawal more heavily. Historians' academic rankings have been more favorable than contemporaneous public approval polls, and as with many presidencies, long-term historical evaluation may differ from approval ratings while in office.

Citations (3)

1d33gy59ovltp76.cloudfront.netNot yet classified
In historians' Presidents Day survey, Biden vs. Trump…
Backs: “Whether Joe Biden was a good president is subjective and evaluations differ depending on criteria, political perspective, and which metrics are emphasized. Overall Assessments. Two different types of evaluations illustrate the divide: Historians' expert survey: The 2024 edition of the Presidential Greatness Project…”
2gallup.comCompanies
Biden Job Approval Second Lowest Among Post-WWII Presidents
Backs: “Historians' expert survey: The 2024 edition of the Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey of 154 historians and presidential experts rated Biden in 14th place, just ahead of Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan. The survey placed him in the top third of U.S. presidents in that ranking. Public approval: Gallup…”
3wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Joe Biden
Backs: “Analysts have noted that initially poor retrospective evaluations may improve over time, as has happened for some other presidents. What Supporters Cite as Accomplishments. As president, Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and recession, signed bipartisan bills on…”