Biden’s Legacy: Bad or Worse?

Is President Biden more of a Jimmy Carter or a James Buchanan? It may be years before Biden’s legacy is truly understood, but that didn’t stop the “Matter of Opinion” hosts from debating how his time in office will be remembered.

Biden’s Legacy: Bad or Worse?

A cleareyed review of Biden’s term.

Below is a transcript of an episode of “Matter of Opinion” We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on the NYT Audio App, Apple, Spotify,Amazon Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Michelle Cottle: OK, welcome back, everyone. It’s officially our first “Matter of Opinion” episode of 2025. Today, I want us to talk about President Biden’s legacy. He’s got just about a week and change left in office, and more than that, he’s ending a five-decade-long run in public service.

So before he goes and the Trump moving vans roll down Pennsylvania Avenue, I want us to look at the whole of Biden’s legacy, including the 2024 election but also going beyond it. How does it look now? And what might it look like down the road with more hindsight?

So to kick this all off, I’m wondering if we can talk about this legacy outside of the 2024 election.