America's greatest presidents were at times treated like punching bags, insulted and vilified by their opponents during their time in office. President Biden has endured similar injustices. But like all great presidents, I expect history to judge him more accurately.
Biden is a historically transformative president. His groundbreaking domestic achievements rival those of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and Lyndon Johnson's Great Society.
a 2023 surveyA survey of 154 political scientists and other presidential experts ranked Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and George Washington as America's three greatest presidents, in that order. Biden was ranked 14th. Donald Trump, who will be re-elected as president on January 20th, was ranked 45th, at the bottom of the list. I am confident that Mr. Biden's ranking will rise in the coming years.
Biden's performanceinclude:
- obtain parliamentary approval $4.6 trillion Investing to end the coronavirus pandemic with free vaccinations and treatments.
- stimulus checkUp to $1,400 for individuals and other programs.
- create Over 16 millionReducing employment and unemployment6.3 percentwhen he took office 4.2 percentNovember.
- Reduce health insurance and prescription drug costs for millions of Americans.
- Combating dangerous climate change while creating clean energy jobs and manufacturing jobs. and
- tax reductionIt targets middle- and working-class families and some businesses, while imposing minimum taxes on multibillion-dollar companies and cracking down on tax fraud by the wealthy.
Biden also signed the authorization bill. $1.2 trillion investmentTo improve America's roads, bridges, mass transit, railroads, airports, ports, waterways, and energy systems and create good jobs.
The Biden administration's policy is Reduction in illegal crossings Concerns about illegal immigration at the border are declining at the southern border, below levels seen when Trump left office. about 75% In the past 12 months.
Furthermore, Mr. Biden CHIPS and scientific law Legislation enacts $53 billion to create semiconductor manufacturing jobs in the U.S., dramatically increasing medical benefits Issued for Veterans presidential order To protect access to reproductive health care, he appointed 233 federal judges with Senate confirmation, including Kentangi Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
Biden also enacted the most important legislation.gun safety reform30 years laterimprovedAffordable Care Act, Medicaid, and other health care programs.
Regarding criminal justice, he said:presidential order Require reforms to improve police accountability and reduce excessive use of force by police.
he was praised by labor unions As the most pro-union president in U.S. history.
he tried to do this Cancel college loan debtSome of his efforts were blocked by the courts, but for millions of people.
Internationally, Mr. BidenHe repaired relationships with allies damaged by President Trump, strengthened and expanded NATO with the addition of Finland and Sweden, and mobilized the alliance to help Ukraine protect itself from Russia's unprovoked aggression. .
Biden will step up aid to help defend Israel and help innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip after Hamas terrorists invaded the Jewish state on October 7, 2023. increased assistance to help civilians.ceasefirebetween Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah.
In his final weeks in office, he has continued efforts to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and free about 100 Israelis, Americans and others.hostageHamas is holding them in Gaza.
Additionally, Biden and his administration achieved success negotiated the releaseBasketball player Brittney Griner and journalist Evan Gershkovich were among the more than 70 Americans held hostage by foreign governments, who were held in Russian custody.
Biden ended the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the longest in U.S. history, with the agreement. negotiated byTrump administration. Unfortunately, the rapid withdrawal of US troops required under the Trump deal allowed the Taliban to seize power.
No matter how you look at it, Mr. Biden's accomplishments dwarfed Mr. Trump's during his chaotic term in office. Yet in 2020 and 2024, before Biden ended his re-election bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, Trump falsely portrayed Biden as an aloof old man incapable of leading our country. Ta.
President Trump saidHe accused Biden of being “incompetent and stupid,” saying he “can't string two sentences together,” and said on social media that Biden has the “heart, mind, and IQ of a first grader.” Ta.
The attacks on Biden were reminiscent of the worst attacks on our nation's greatest president.
Some of Washington's critics calledRegarding his impeachment, he said his administration had caused “deep-rooted and irremediable public evil” and questioned whether he had been “a tyrant rather than a savior of the country.” grandson of benjamin franklin saidWashington was “certainly not a great man.”
“New York World” reprint editorialFrom another newspaper calling Lincoln “the mean monkey of Illinois.” illinois newspapers said Lincoln said, “You can no more become a politician, or even a moderate, than a noisy donkey can become a noble lion.''
Franklin Roosevelt was often called a socialist, a communist, a fascist, and a would-be dictator by his critics. Publisher William Randolph Hearst 28 metropolitan newspapers Hearst signed the New Deal, calling it the “Raw Deal.” front page editorialRoosevelt claimed that he “did his best to merit the support of Karl Marx socialists…communists and anarchists…and…all such disturbing and subversive elements.”
The attacks on Biden by President Trump and some of his supporters are similarly hyperbolic.
Joe Biden has dedicated 50 years of his life to public service in elected office as a distinguished senator, vice president, and president. Now 82 years old, he is unable to turn back the clock and become younger, resulting in concerns about his ability to serve another four years, so he abandoned his bid for re-election.
As Biden prepares to leave the White House, Americans should be grateful for all he has accomplished for us and our country.
Donna Brazile is a political strategist, contributor to ABC News, and former chair of the Democratic National Committee. She is the author of “Hacks: Inside the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House.”
