President Biden's tenure comes to a close as President-elect Trump takes office. Despite legislative achievements, his presidency is marred by low approval ratings and a perceived inability to prevent Trump's return to power. Biden's farewell address focused on domestic stability, international leadership, and economic progress, but he also warned of an 'oligarchy' threatening American democracy.
President Biden's half-century political career culminates on Monday as President-elect Trump takes office, succeeding Biden in the White House. While the longtime Democratic senator from Delaware, two-term vice president, and one-term president can point to numerous legislative victories and achievements during his four years in the White House, Biden departs office as one of the most unpopular presidents in the nation's history.
Biden, who successfully defeated Trump in the 2020 election, promising a departure from his predecessor's policies, is faced with a legacy tarnished by his inability to prevent Trump's return to the presidency. In an open letter to the American people on Wednesday, Biden appeared to acknowledge his inability to fulfill the pivotal pledge from his 2020 campaign. 'I ran for president because I believed that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake,' Biden wrote, lamenting 'that’s still the case.' 'President Biden campaigned on and was elected based on a platform of returning to normalcy in 2020. And while voters seemingly desired that in principle, history will remember Biden as being unable to deliver on his promise,' veteran political scientist Wayne Lesperance, president of New England College, told Fox News. Biden, in a farewell address to the nation last week, aimed to solidify his legacy as a president who strived to stabilize politics domestically while bolstering America's global leadership. He also portrayed himself as a leader who guided the nation through the COVID-19 pandemic, made historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy, revitalized the economy, and created historic job growth, while simultaneously lowering prescription drug costs for millions of Americans. However, Biden also used his speech 'to warn the country' that 'an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy. Our basic rights, freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.' Biden concludes his single term in the White House with approval ratings that remain significantly low. He stood at 42% approval and 57% disapproval in the latest Fox News national poll, conducted January 10-13 and released on Thursday. A mere 36% of Americans approved of Biden's performance in the White House, according to the latest CNN poll, mirroring the president's previous low point in the cable news network's polling during Biden's tenure. Biden's approval rating hovered at 43% – still in negative territory – in national polls by USA Today/Suffolk University and Marist College, all conducted in early and mid-January. Biden's approval rating fluctuated in the low to mid-50s during his first six months in office. However, the president's numbers began declining in August 2021 following widespread criticism of Biden's handling of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and a surge in COVID-19 cases that summer, primarily among unvaccinated individuals. Contributing to the decline in the president's approval rating was soaring inflation, which began escalating in the summer of 2021 and persists as a major economic concern for Americans, alongside the surge of migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. along the southern border. Biden's approval ratings slipped below 50% in the autumn of 2021 and never recovered. Recent polls also indicate that many Americans perceive Biden's presidency as a failure. Sixty-one percent of adults nationwide surveyed in the CNN poll considered Biden's presidency an overall failure, with 38% viewing it as a success. According to the USA Today/Suffolk University poll, 44% of registered voters stated that history will judge Biden as a failed president, while 27% believe he will be considered a fair president. Twenty-one percent of respondents said history will view Biden as a good president, with only 5% indicating he will be seen as a great president. Just over a third of adults nationwide surveyed in the Marist poll stated that Biden will be remembered as one of the worst presidents in American history, with 19% saying he will be considered a below-average president. Twenty-eight percent of participants believed Biden's legacy would be viewed as average, while 19% said he would be regarded as above average or one of the best presidents in the nation's history. In one of his last interviews in office, Biden acknowledged to MSNBC that 'ironically, I almost spent too much time on the policy, not enough time on the politics.' The ill-fated re-election bid also weighs heavily on Biden's legacy.
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