Was Joe Biden a good president?

Was Biden a good president? I'll gather a balanced look at his record — achievements, criticism, and how historians rate him.

Was Joe Biden a good president is a subjective question, and assessments vary widely depending on political perspective and what criteria are emphasized. His presidency from 2021-2025 is generally described as mixed and consequential.

Arguments That He Was Effective

Supporters point to significant legislative accomplishments, particularly in the first two years when Democrats had narrow congressional majorities:

•The administration's achievements include the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment Act, and the Chips and Science Act

•More specifically, Biden’s major legislative achievements include the 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)

Other cited accomplishments included measures on drug-pricing, judicial appointments and civil-rights advances, and abroad 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.

Historians have rated him more favorably than the public did at the time. In the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project, he ranked 14th, in the top third of U.S. presidents, just ahead of Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan.

A February 2024 American Political Science Association poll of historians and scholars also ranked Biden the 14th-greatest president.

Arguments That He Was Not Effective

Critics point to crisis management, the economy, and immigration and foreign policy:

•Inflation peaking at 9.1% and the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal were the primary drags on his approval throughout his term.

•When voters were asked for the worst things about his presidency, the top answers were: Inflation, the state of the southern border, and the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.

•The administration failed to solve the inflation crisis. It averaged 5.4% per year during his time in the White House.

This was reflected in public opinion polling:

•As President Joe Biden prepared to leave the White House, a CNN poll found 61% believed his presidency was a failure, with his approval rating matching a record low of 36%.

•His average approval was 42.2 percent over four years, a historically low figure, only slightly higher than Donald Trump's first-term average of 41.1 percent.

•He began his term with over 50% approval ratings; however, these fell significantly after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and remained low as the country experienced high inflation and rising gas prices.

Summary View

Many analysts describe the record as combining substantive policy accomplishments — in infrastructure, industry policy, drug pricing, social supports and judicial appointments — with glaring failures and political liabilities in Afghanistan, inflation control, border politics, and messaging; assessments therefore depend heavily on whether one weights durable institutional change and legislation or immediate crises and political consequences more heavily.

In short, whether Biden is viewed as a good president often depends on whether the evaluator prioritizes long-term legislative and institutional investments and international alliance management, or short-term economic performance, border management, and crisis execution.

Was Joe Biden a good president?

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