How Will Historians Treat the Biden Presidency? – In a shot heard around the world that provoked an outpouring of grief and emotion, former President Joe Biden’s office announced on May 18 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Biden, 82, received well-wishes and sympathy from across the political spectrum. While it is not clear how his treatment will affect his quality of life, aggressive treatment to address the cancer is required.
This announcement has some taking a retrospective look at his presidency and offering an analysis of how historians will treat his time in office. Biden will be chiefly remembered for the abysmal debate performance he turned in before stepping aside from his political campaign in the summer of 2024. His acolyte, Vice President Kamala Harris, lost the race to Donald Trump, leading some in Biden’s party to wonder if he would have refrained from running again, the results could have been different. Biden still claimed he could have beaten Trump had he stayed in the race.
Democrats and Republicans Have Mixed Views on the Joe Biden Presidency
Biden will be seen as an experienced, well-meaning, decent man who restored a sense of normalcy to Trump’s chaotic presidency. Supporters will note that he passed significant legislation that helped all Americans. He came to office to heal a country ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden sought to unite an unhealthy America. Republicans saw him as damaged goods and viewed him as an ineffective leader who had diminished physical and mental faculties throughout his tenure.
Afghanistan Was the First Disaster
In August of 2021, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, which many viewed as the first sign of the wheels coming off the Biden presidency. His public approval rating took a nosedive after the disastrous US withdrawal that saw many Afghans struggling to board airplanes to escape Taliban reprisals. Biden also oversaw a terror attack that comprised two suicide bombings outside the Kabul airport that killed at least 169 Afghans and thirteen US military personnel.
Illegal Immigration Hurt the President
Biden was plagued by his open border policy that saw millions of illegal immigrants streaming into the country, some of whom had allegedly committed violent crimes. The President looked for a comprehensive Congressional immigration reform bill that would have solved the problem. Still, Republicans maintained that many immigration issues could have been fixed earlier by executive orders from the President, which he refused to undertake until the last stages of his tenure.
Solving the Pandemic and Repairing the Economy
Biden supporters claimed that the President was instrumental in ending the pandemic and repairing the economy by creating at least 16 million jobs. The White House claimed that 230 million people were vaccinated under his leadership while the economy recovered.
Republicans believed the President’s economic results were mixed at best. The country underwent drastic inflation not seen in 40 years, and critics pointed out that the cost of living skyrocketed without accompanying wage increases. People believed the country was on the wrong track. Biden’s approval rating suffered from the economy’s doldrums.
Biden struggled to keep up, but he did provide the necessary leadership to help people still suffering from the pandemic. He increased the earned income credit for low-income families and gave taxpayers $1,400 checks. He also expanded the Child Tax Credit.
Joe Biden Should Have Received Glowing Reviews
The White House said, “President Biden’s Investing in America agenda—the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act—is making smart public investments all across the country to catalyze additional private sector investments, increasing growth and American economic competitiveness. To date, President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has helped attract over $1 trillion in announced private-sector investments in clean energy and manufacturing and created over 1.6 million construction and manufacturing jobs.”
People Did Not Feel Prosperous
Somehow, this feeling of prosperity did not trickle down to struggling households. There was still a so-called “vibecession,” in which people believed the economy was in a recession despite strong macroeconomic statistics. Biden was never able to convince everyone that his economy was flourishing.
However, Biden was a fighter. During the midterm elections, most predicted a “Red Wave” of Republicans winning office, but the President’s party did better than expected. Republicans barely took back the House of Representatives, while Democrats held the Senate. This showed that Biden’s policies may have been more effective and popular than previously thought.
Nevertheless, Biden will still go down in history as a mediocre one-term president. He wore out his welcome with the American people. The person he endorsed to retain the White House did the unthinkable and lost to President Trump despite raising over a billion dollars in support of the campaign.
If Biden had stepped aside and refused to run for re-election, and the Democrats had soundly beaten Trump, he would have earned a better grade from historians. But he suffered a mixed record and oversaw lasting damage with high inflation, high interest rates, and an invasion by illegal immigrants. Many people felt they couldn’t get ahead financially with the high prices. Illegal immigration was seen as a drastic problem the President never fixed, and Biden looked unhealthy physically and mentally throughout his presidency.
It is a shame that the former President now has cancer. He may be unable to defend his legacy as vehemently as he enters a long treatment period. Trump has the bully pulpit now, and Biden risks fading away without being able to tout his accomplishments.
Republicans and many Independents will view the Joe Biden presidency as less than stellar, and some Democrats will remember him as someone who overstayed his welcome. He should have stepped aside earlier and will always be seen as the President who had a terrible debate that signified a lack of fitness to stay in office. His supporters will now have to work overtime to rehabilitate his image.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
