Was Joe Biden a good president?

Was Joe Biden a good president? I'll gather historians' rankings, approval data, and major achievements to give you a balanced answer.

Whether Joe Biden was a "good" president is subjective and depends on what metrics you value. Historical and public evaluations diverge sharply.

How historians rate him

Historians and scholars have rated Biden relatively positively in early retrospective surveys:

•The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert survey of 154 historians and presidential experts ranked Biden 14th out of U.S. presidents, in the top third, just ahead of Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan.

•The Siena College Research Institute's 2022 survey ranked Biden 19th out of 45 presidents. The same 2024 survey also ranked him 14th.

Pollsters noted that Biden's ranking was unusually high for a presidency without military victories or institutional expansion, and that proponents have strong arguments but his high placement suggests a powerful anti-Trump factor at work.

How the public rated him at the time

Public approval during and immediately after his term was much lower:

•Gallup reported Biden averaged 42.2% job approval during his four years, the second lowest in Gallup polling history, with a final job approval rating of 40% in Jan 2025.

•Gallup also flagged that his average 42.2% was just one point higher than Donald Trump’s record low.

•A December 2024 Gallup poll found that 54% of Americans thought Biden's presidency was below average or poor, 26% average, and 19% above average or outstanding.

•An AP-NORC assessment as he left office found only a quarter of the public viewed him as a great or good president.

Gallup noted that the initially poor retrospective evaluation may improve over time, as it has for other presidents whose average rating was lower than their final historical reputation.

Arguments that he was a good president

Supporters and some analysts point to:

•Domestic legislation: Despite narrow congressional margins, he secured major pieces of legislation — the pandemic relief bill, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act — that aimed to revive the economy and spur job growth. The Inflation Reduction Act stands out as the nation's largest investment ever in clean energy and climate action.

•Other cited accomplishments include creating jobs, lowering prescription drug costs, expanding affordable health care, and appointing Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.

•Foreign policy: The Council on Foreign Relations assessment says he restored the United States as the anchor of the free world while leading the successful effort to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression, reestablished credentials as the world's leading democracy, and that NATO is now strong and unified.

Gallup also noted there were generally solid GDP growth, low unemployment and record highs in the stock market during his term.

Arguments that he was not a good president

Critics point to:

•Inflation, which reached 9.1%, historically high border encounters, the Afghanistan collapse and increase in federal debt.

•Immigration: Border patrols encountered some 2.2 million migrants crossing the southern border illegally in 2022, an all-time high.

•The chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in 2021, which corresponded with a drop in approval to 43%, and rising inflation and border crossings that kept approval in low 40s or high 30s thereafter.

•Concerns about age and health persisted throughout his presidency. He is the first president to turn 80 while in office, and after a poor performance in the first 2024 presidential debate he withdrew his candidacy.

•Economic perception: Gallup found a majority said the U.S. lost ground on the economy in general, immigration, and the country's position in the world under Biden. Journalist Amy Walter argued the public deemed his presidency a failure particularly due to frustration over inflation.

Gallup's bottom line was that in Americans' evaluation, economic hardships especially inflation and international conflicts outweighed legislative wins.

Conclusion

•If measured by legislative output, alliance restoration, and expert historians' early rankings, Biden is viewed by scholars as an above-average, top-third president.

•If measured by contemporaneous public approval, inflation, border management, and the Afghanistan withdrawal, a majority of Americans at the end of his term viewed his presidency as below average or poor.

As with most presidencies, long-term historical judgment may differ from immediate public opinion.

Citations (3)

1wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Joe Biden
Backs: “presidents, in the top third, just ahead of Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan.”
2gallup.comCompanies
Biden Job Approval Second Lowest Among Post-WWII Presidents
Backs: “Pollsters noted that Biden's ranking was unusually high for a presidency without military victories or institutional expansion, and that proponents have strong arguments but his high placement suggests a powerful anti-Trump factor at work. How the public rated him at the time. Public approval during and immediately…”
3cfr.orgNonprofits and think tanks
Biden’s Legacy: Major Accomplishments but Unfinished Business
Backs: “Gallup noted that the initially poor retrospective evaluation may improve over time, as it has for other presidents whose average rating was lower than their final historical reputation. Arguments that he was a good president. Supporters and some analysts point to: Domestic legislation: Despite narrow congressional…”