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By Ewan Palmer
News Reporter
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Joe Biden is about to leave office with a series of missteps that have tainted his legacy as president, experts told Newsweek.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Biden entered office in January 2021 with a promise to provide a sharp contrast what some perceived as a chaotic Donald Trump administration. He now risks being remembered more for actions that may have paved the way for Trump's return to the White House rather than for his achievements.
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What to Know
According to a Gallup poll of 1,003 U.S. adults conducted between December 2 and 18, 2024, and released on January 7, a majority (54 percent) believe Biden will be remembered as a "below average" (17 percent) or "poor" (37 percent) president.
Biden's presidency has been marked by criticism, including concerns over border security, the state of the economy and his decision to run for reelection in 2024.
Biden and his supporters highlight key accomplishments, such as passing the Inflation Reduction Act and improving the U.S. economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a January 15 post on X, formerly Twitter, former President Barack Obama credited Biden with helping transform a "reeling" economy into the world's strongest recovery and passing landmark legislation to rebuild infrastructure and address climate change.
Below, Newsweek looks at six key errors that experts say risk overshadowing Biden's achievements**.**
Running for Reelection
Biden's decision to seek a second term despite concerns about his age and cognitive abilities—not to mention low polling numbers and voter enthusiasm—will likely linger as a painful "what if?" for Democrats.
When Biden, now 82, eventually announced his decision not to seek reelection, Vice President Kamala Harris was left with just over 100 days to launch her own White House bid.
Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, told Newsweek that if Biden had announced his decision not to run in early to mid-2023, he could have been "heralded for statesmanship and selflessness."
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders also criticized the timing, saying Biden's decision hindered the party's chances of retaining the presidency. During Wednesday's episode of the Hacks on Tap podcast, former Obama strategist David Axelrod called Biden seeking reelection a "terrible mistake," adding that he may have been motivated by a belief that serving two terms is essential to be considered a great president.
In an interview with USA Today earlier this month, Biden said he could have defeated Trump again.
Debate Performance
Longstanding concerns about Biden's physical and mental fitness intensified after a poor performance in the June 2024 CNN presidential debate. Biden often trailed off mid-sentence and spoke in a strained, whispered tone, prompting questions about his health.
The debate was widely regarded as disastrous, with Democratic figures calling for Biden to withdraw from the race and suggestions the president's team failed to be forthright to voters about his health.
Cary Coglianese, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told Newsweek that effective communication is crucial to presidential leadership, and that Biden's performance was a "clear mistake."
Afghanistan Withdrawal
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 became a defining moment in Biden's presidency. Public opinion took a significant hit after a suicide bombing at Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 170 others.
Before the withdrawal, Biden's approval ratings were in the mid-50s. Following the chaotic Afghanistan exit at the end of a 20-year war, his ratings dropped below 50 percent and never recovered.
The incident became a key talking point for Republicans, with Trump frequently citing it as evidence of weak leadership.
Border Control Failures
Illegal immigration at the southern border became another contentious issue. On his first day in office, Biden rolled back several of Trump's immigration policies.
What followed was a surge in illegal migrant crossing at the U.S-Mexico border, peaking at a record-breaking 249,741 encounters in the month of December 2023.
The numbers would decline significantly by December 2024, with Customs and Border Protection reporting 47,300 illegal crossings. But the perception lingered... Borick described this lack of attention to border issues as a major misstep early in Biden's presidency.
Appointment of Merrick Garland
Biden grew frustrated with Attorney General Merrick Garland over the Justice Department's slow pace in prosecuting Trump's alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election, according to The Washington Post.
Left-wing critics also questioned why Garland waited until November 2022 to appoint Jack Smith as special counsel. Others have said this delay ultimately led to Trump winning the 2024 election.
Both the federal 2020 case and the investigation into Trump's alleged hoarding of classified materials were dropped by Smith in the wake of the Republican's 2024 election victory, as the DOJ has a policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents.
Smith said in his report released Tuesday that there was enough evidence to secure a conviction against Trump over his actions in the run up to the January 6 attack if the case went to trial.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all the federal charges against him.
Lack of Clear Messaging
Harris' election defeat was largely attributed to voter dissatisfaction with the economy under Biden's administration, such as decades-high levels of inflation and record-breaking gas prices.
Biden faced criticism for failing to effectively communicate his administration's accomplishments, particularly on issues like inflation. Coglianese said that while Biden's administration characterized rising inflation as "temporary" or "transitory," which was perhaps technically correct, voters simply saw prices increase.
What People Are Saying
Christopher Borick, political science professor, told Newsweek: "The failure to recognize the saliency of the border situation as a concern among Americans earlier in his administration was an enormous misstep. It gave Republicans a powerful issue to run on in 2024 and border images became emblematic of a weak administration.
"Not withdrawing from the race earlier was a major mistake that undermined both Biden's legacy and his party's chance to maintain the presidency. If he had stepped aside in early to mid 2023 he would have been heralded for statesmanship and unselfishness and the Democrats may have found a candidate to take on Trump in 2024.
!As with the border, the chaotic withdrawal in Afghanistan provided fuel for the case that the Biden Administration lacked strength. If you look as his approval ratings it was the point where his standing declined and never really recovered."
Cary Coglianese, political science professor, told Newsweek: "Communication and messaging are a crucial part of presidential leadership. In this respect, one could certainly point to Biden's debate performance against Trump as a clear mistake. His administration's efforts to characterize inflation as 'temporary' or 'transitory' in 2021 may have been technically correct, in the sense that the rate of inflation has come down from its heights following the pandemic. People just don't perceive inflation 'rates' as much as they do 'prices,' so inflation was never going to be temporary with respect to what people perceive most—how prices today compare with what they were before Biden became president."
Former Obama strategist David Axelrod speaking during an episode of Hacks on Tap podcast: "Biden so wanted the approbation that I think he felt like to be a great president, you had to be a two-term president, or at least elected to two terms, and that was a terrible, terrible mistake. He will pay a price for that which will be beyond anything that he would have imagined. I hope that the clouds will recede in that he, like others, will be treated better by history than he is by voters right now."
President Joe Biden in a January 5 interview with USA Today: "I hope that history says that I came in and I had a plan how to restore the economy and reestablish America's leadership in the world. That was my hope. I mean, you know, who knows? And I hope it records that I did it with honesty and integrity, that I said what was on my mind."
What Happens Next
Biden will leave office on January 20. In a September appearance on The View, Biden said he hopes to continue working on domestic policy matters with the University of Delaware's Biden Institute, and foreign policy matters with the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington, D.C.
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