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GPT-5Oct 22, 2026openai/gpt-5-2025-08-07
Was Joe Biden a good president?
Short answer: it depends what you value most. Here’s a concise scorecard based on publicly reported outcomes and legislation through October 2024.
Where supporters say he did well
•Economy and jobs: Rapid post‑pandemic jobs recovery; unemployment stayed low in 2023–2024; big public and private investment in infrastructure, semiconductors, and clean energy (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act).
•Health and seniors: Let Medicare negotiate some drug prices; capped insulin at $35/month for Medicare beneficiaries.
•Climate/industry policy: Largest federal climate/clean‑energy package to date, plus incentives that spurred factory construction and grid/battery projects.
•Bipartisan governance: Passed several cross‑party laws (infrastructure, CHIPS, PACT Act for veterans, modest gun‑safety bill); appointed a large number of judges, including the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.
•Alliances/Ukraine: Rebuilt coordination with allies and led a broad coalition backing Ukraine; launched AUKUS and other partnerships to balance China.
Where critics say he fell short
•Inflation and affordability: 2022 saw a 40‑year inflation peak; although it cooled later, higher prices, interest rates, and housing costs hurt affordability.
•Border and immigration: Record pressures at the southern border; no durable legislative fix; enforcement and humanitarian approach drew criticism from both left and right.
•Afghanistan withdrawal: Final 2021 pullout was chaotic and deadly, damaging perceptions of competence.
•Fiscal picture: Deficits remained large; student‑debt relief faced court setbacks and was reworked in narrower ways.
•Energy and foreign policy tensions: Approved some fossil projects while promoting clean energy; his handling of the Israel–Gaza war divided opinion at home and abroad.
Public opinion
•His job approval ran historically low for much of 2023–2024, reflecting a polarized electorate rather than a clear consensus.
Bottom line
•If you prioritize legislative achievements, alliance management, and a swift labor‑market recovery, you might judge him “good.”
•If you weigh inflation’s hit to living costs, border management, the Afghanistan exit, or disagree with parts of his foreign/energy policy, you might not.
Today is October 22, 2026, and my detailed knowledge is current through October 2024. If you want an updated assessment (e.g., 2025–2026 data on prices, growth, immigration flows, or later policy outcomes), I can look that up and tailor it to the areas you care about most. Which factors matter most to you?