Was Joe Biden a good president?
No, not particularly—though it depends on your metrics and values, and his record is mixed with some clear legislative wins alongside major shortcomings that left him unpopular and a one-term president. "Good" is subjective: if you prioritize progressive domestic legislation, climate investment, alliances, and post-COVID recovery metrics like jobs and GDP, he looks better; if you prioritize inflation control, border security, competent foreign exits, or unifying leadership, he looks worse. Public opinion was clear—his Gallup average approval was about 42%, the second-lowest in modern polling history, and Democrats lost the White House in 2024.[1]
Biden entered office in January 2021 amid COVID recovery, with unemployment around 6.4-6.7%, after Trump's term and the chaotic end of his first presidency. He left in January 2025 with unemployment near 4.1%, strong job growth, but cumulative price increases of roughly 20% and persistent voter frustration over costs and other issues.[2]
Key Achievements
Supporters (often Democrats, progressives, and some centrists/economists) call him one of the most legislatively consequential recent presidents—comparable in domestic ambition to LBJ-era scale in a polarized era—and credit him with healing the pandemic economy better than expected while reasserting U.S. leadership.[5]
Major Criticisms and Failures
Critics (Republicans, many independents, and some on the left over Gaza or insufficient progressivism) argue the inflation was a self-inflicted "Bidenomics" tax, the border was negligently open, Afghanistan was incompetent, and he was a weak, declining figurehead whose policies fueled division and Trump's return.[10]
Bottom Line
Biden delivered substantial progressive and bipartisan domestic policy in a tough environment and oversaw a strong jobs recovery from COVID depths. Those are real accomplishments that may age well in historical assessments focused on legislation and metrics like employment/GDP. However, the inflation spike, border surge, Afghanistan debacle, and failure to maintain public confidence or political momentum defined the lived experience for many Americans and led to electoral repudiation. He was more consequential than a pure caretaker but fell short of "good" by the standards of sustained prosperity, security, competence, and popularity that define successful presidencies for most voters.[11]
History's judgment will evolve (as with Carter or others), especially on climate investments and Ukraine. Compare him to predecessors on specific issues rather than seeking a binary. What matters most to you—jobs numbers, grocery prices, border stats, wars, or legislation?
Citations (11)
- https://x.com/Gallup/status/1881038982768628144
Backs: “Public opinion was clear—his Gallup average approval was about 42%, the second-lowest in modern polling history, and Democrats lost the White House in 2024.”
- https://cnn.com/2025/01/19/economy/us-biden-economic-legacy
Backs: “He left in January 2025 with unemployment near 4.1%, strong job growth, but cumulative price increases of roughly 20% and persistent voter frustration over costs and other issues.”
- https://presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-administration-record
Backs: “The U.S. recovery was among the strongest in the developed world.”
- https://www.cfr.org/articles/bidens-legacy-major-accomplishments-unfinished-business
Backs: “These advanced industrial policy, supply-chain resilience, and green energy.”
- https://theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/20/biden-presidency-legacy-policies
Backs: “Supporters (often Democrats, progressives, and some centrists/economists) call him one of the most legislatively consequential recent presidents—comparable in domestic ambition to LBJ-era scale in a polarized era—and credit him with healing the pandemic economy better than expected while reasserting U.S. leadership.”
- https://nytimes.com/2025/01/15/us/politics/biden-presidential-legacy-trump.html
Backs: “The large 2021 stimulus contributed (along with supply shocks, energy prices, and global factors), and while inflation fell later, prices stayed elevated and real gains felt uneven. This dominated voter perceptions and the 2024 election.”
- https://homeland.house.gov/2024/10/24/startling-stats-factsheet-fiscal-year-2024-ends-with-nearly-3-million-inadmissible-encounters-10-8-million-total-encounters-since-fy2021/
Backs: “Numbers dropped sharply after his term under successor policies.”
- https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/the-last-american-troop-leaves-afghanistan
Backs: “Widely seen as a humiliation damaging U.S. credibility, even if the decision to leave had broad prior support and roots in the Trump-Taliban deal.”
- https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Polling_Index:_Opinion_polling_during_the_Biden_administration
Backs: “Average approval ~42%; many polls showed majority viewing him as below average.”
- https://theconversation.com/joe-bidens-legacy-four-successes-and-four-failures-246454
Backs: “Critics (Republicans, many independents, and some on the left over Gaza or insufficient progressivism) argue the inflation was a self-inflicted "Bidenomics" tax, the border was negligently open, Afghanistan was incompetent, and he was a weak, declining figurehead whose policies fueled division and Trump's return.”
- https://abcnews.com/Politics/bidens-legacy-historians-weigh-46th-president-remembered/story?id=117625468
Backs: “He was more consequential than a pure caretaker but fell short of "good" by the standards of sustained prosperity, security, competence, and popularity that define successful presidencies for most voters.”