section_path: Legacy
section_name: Legacy
paragraph_text: Legacy
  
  When Biden left office in 2025, journalists and even many Democrats viewed his presidency as a failure—due to age and health concerns, public frustration over inflation, and the defeat of his vice president, Kamala Harris, in the 2024 presidential election by Donald Trump. The Guardian called the conclusion of Biden's presidency a "tragedy", particularly because Biden was succeeded by Trump after previously defeating him.
  
  Biden's life has been marked by tragedy, including the death of his first wife and daughter in a car accident after his election to the Senate in 1972 and the death of his son Beau from brain cancer in 2015. NBC News called Biden's life "one of the great tragedies of American politics."
  
  Journalist Ronald Brownstein of The Atlantic compared Biden to Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29, 2024, and whom Biden eulogized on January 9, 2025. Biden's presidency was overshadowed by the 2021–2023 inflation surge, much as the 1970s energy crisis and stagflation overshadowed Carter's presidency. Both men were Democrats and served a single term as president, with Carter losing reelection in 1980 to Ronald Reagan and Biden's party losing in 2024 to Donald Trump.
  
  Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election was compared to Lyndon B. Johnson's withdrawal from the 1968 presidential election, with Johnson's vice president, Hubert Humphrey, losing in 1968 to Richard Nixon and Biden's vice president, Kamala Harris, losing in 2024 to Trump. Johnson and Biden were both initially popular but saw their approval ratings decline throughout their presidencies as both faced protests and criticism over foreign policy issues. Johnson and Biden also previously served as vice president, under John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama, respectively.
  
  A December 2024 Gallup poll found that 54% of Americans thought Biden's presidency was below average or poor, 26% average, and 19% above average or outstanding. Gallup found that Americans largely offered negative assessments of Biden's presidency on economic, national, and international issues. Of 18 issue areas Gallup tracked, a majority of Americans said the U.S. lost ground in six, including the economy in general, immigration, and the country's position in the world. A plurality found that the U.S. declined in six other areas, including national infrastructure and energy, education, and trade relations with other countries. Americans perceived standstills in climate change and black people's situation, and were divided between standstills and declines in their perception of health care, national defense, and taxes. A plurality felt the U.S. made progress in only one indicator under Biden: the conditions of gay, lesbian, and transgender people.
  
  When Biden left office in 2025, journalists and even many Democrats viewed his presidency as a failure—due to age and health concerns, public frustration over inflation, and the defeat of his vice president, Kamala Harris, in the 2024 presidential election by Donald Trump. The Guardian called the conclusion of Biden's presidency a "tragedy", particularly because Biden was succeeded by Trump after previously defeating him.
  
  Biden's life has been marked by tragedy, including the death of his first wife and daughter in a car accident after his election to the Senate in 1972 and the death of his son Beau from brain cancer in 2015. NBC News called Biden's life "one of the great tragedies of American politics."
  
  Journalist Ronald Brownstein of The Atlantic compared Biden to Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29, 2024, and whom Biden eulogized on January 9, 2025. Biden's presidency was overshadowed by the 2021–2023 inflation surge, much as the 1970s energy crisis and stagflation overshadowed Carter's presidency. Both men were Democrats and served a single term as president, with Carter losing reelection in 1980 to Ronald Reagan and Biden's party losing in 2024 to Donald Trump.
  
  Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election was compared to Lyndon B. Johnson's withdrawal from the 1968 presidential election, with Johnson's vice president, Hubert Humphrey, losing in 1968 to Richard Nixon and Biden's vice president, Kamala Harris, losing in 2024 to Trump. Johnson and Biden were both initially popular but saw their approval ratings decline throughout their presidencies as both faced protests and criticism over foreign policy issues. Johnson and Biden also previously served as vice president, under John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama, respectively.
  
  A December 2024 Gallup poll found that 54% of Americans thought Biden's presidency was below average or poor, 26% average, and 19% above average or outstanding. Gallup found that Americans largely offered negative assessments of Biden's presidency on economic, national, and international issues. Of 18 issue areas Gallup tracked, a majority of Americans said the U.S. lost ground in six, including the economy in general, immigration, and the country's position in the world. A plurality found that the U.S. declined in six other areas, including national infrastructure and energy, education, and trade relations with other countries. Americans perceived standstills in climate change and black people's situation, and were divided between standstills and declines in their perception of health care, national defense, and taxes. A plurality felt the U.S. made progress in only one indicator under Biden: the conditions of gay, lesbian, and transgender people.