Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. served as the 46th U.S. President (2021-2025). A Democrat, he previously served as the 47th Vice President under Barack Obama (2009-2017). Before becoming Vice President, Biden represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate for 36 years, from 1973 to 2009.
The 2022 midterm election was the first since 1934 in which the president's party lost no state legislative chambers.
On November 20, 1942, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was born. He would later become the 46th president of the United States.
In 1946, Biden's family purchased a home in the affluent Long Island suburb of Garden City.
In 1953, when Biden was ten years old, his family moved to an apartment in Claymont, Delaware.
In 1961, Joe Biden graduated from Archmere Academy in Claymont.
In 1965, Biden graduated from the University of Delaware.
In 1965, Joe Biden received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in history and political science from the University of Delaware in Newark.
On August 27, 1966, Joe Biden married Neilia Hunter in a Catholic church in Skaneateles, New York.
In 1968, Biden graduated from Syracuse University College of Law.
In 1968, Hubert Humphrey lost the presidential election to Richard Nixon.
In 1968, Joe Biden clerked at a Wilmington law firm headed by Republican William Prickett.
In 1968, Joe Biden earned a Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law.
In 1968, Joe Biden received a conditional medical deferment from the draft, based on a physical examination.
In 1969, Joe Biden practiced law, first as a public defender and then at a law firm, and joined the Democratic Forum.
In 1969, Joe Biden was admitted to the Delaware bar.
In 1970, Joe Biden ran for the fourth district seat on the New Castle County Council.
In 1970, Joe Biden was elected to the New Castle County Council.
On January 5, 1971, Joe Biden took office on the New Castle County Council.
On December 18, 1972, Joe Biden's wife Neilia and one-year-old daughter Naomi were killed in an automobile accident in Hockessin, Delaware. His sons were injured.
In 1972, Joe Biden was elected as the junior U.S. Senator from Delaware, defeating Republican incumbent J. Caleb Boggs.
In 1972, Joe Biden was elected to the U.S. Senate.
In 1972, shortly after being elected to the Senate, Joe Biden's first wife and daughter tragically died in a car accident.
On January 1, 1973, Joe Biden's term on the New Castle County Council ended.
In 1973, Joe Biden began representing Delaware in the U.S. Senate.
In a 1974 interview, Joe Biden described himself as liberal on civil rights and liberties, senior citizens' concerns, and healthcare, but conservative on other issues.
In 1975, Joe Biden met Jill Tracy Jacobs on a blind date.
In 1976, Joe Biden supported a measure forbidding the use of federal funds for transporting students beyond the school closest to them.
In 1976, Joe Biden was the first U.S. senator to endorse Governor Jimmy Carter for president in the Democratic primary.
Two years earlier before August 1987, during his 1988 presidential campaign, Biden had used a 1976 passage by Hubert Humphrey in a speech.
On June 17, 1977, Joe Biden married Jill Tracy Jacobs at the United Nations chapel in New York.
In 1977, Joe Biden co-sponsored an amendment closing loopholes in the measure forbidding the use of federal funds for transporting students beyond the school closest to them.
In 1978, Joe Biden was reelected to the U.S. Senate.
In 1978, the amendment closing loopholes in the measure forbidding the use of federal funds for transporting students beyond the school closest to them, which Joe Biden co-sponsored, was signed into law by President Carter.
In 1979, after Congress failed to ratify the SALT II Treaty, Joe Biden met with Soviet foreign minister Andrei Gromyko and secured changes.
In 1980, Jimmy Carter lost a contest while appearing on the ballot. Biden lost the American Samoa contest to venture capitalist Jason Palmer, becoming the first incumbent president to lose a contest while appearing on the ballot since Jimmy Carter.
In 1980, Jimmy Carter lost his reelection bid to Ronald Reagan.
In 1981, Biden became a ranking minority member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, a position he held until 1987.
In 1981, Joe Biden became the ranking minority member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In 1984, Joe Biden objected to the Strategic Defense Initiative plan to construct autonomous systems of ICBM defense in a congressional hearing.
In 1984, Joe Biden was reelected to the U.S. Senate.
In 1984, Joe Biden was the Democratic floor manager for the successful passage of the Comprehensive Crime Control Act.
The 2022 midterm election was the first since 1986 in which the incumbent president's party achieved a net gain in governorships.
On June 9, 1987, Biden declared his candidacy for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination.
On September 23, 1987, Biden withdrew his candidacy for the 1988 presidential nomination due to plagiarism accusations and false claims about his academic record.
In 1987, Biden became the chair of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, a position he held until 1995.
In February 1988, Biden underwent surgery to correct a leaking intracranial berry aneurysm, following several episodes of severe neck pain. While recuperating, he also suffered a pulmonary embolism. A second aneurysm was surgically repaired in May. His health issues kept him away from the Senate for seven months.
Biden was considered a strong candidate for president in 1988 due to his image, speaking ability, and high profile.
In 1988, Joe Biden ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination.
In 1988, as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Biden presided over the contentious U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Robert Bork. Biden reversed his previous approval of Bork, objecting to Bork's originalism and the view that the U.S. Constitution provides rights to liberty and privacy beyond those explicitly enumerated in its text. Bork's nomination was rejected.
In 1990, Joe Biden was reelected to the U.S. Senate.
During Clarence Thomas's nomination hearings in 1991, Biden faced criticism for his handling of Anita Hill's accusations against Thomas. He allowed Hill to testify, but did not permit testimony from other witnesses. Thomas was confirmed by the Senate, with Biden opposed. Liberal legal advocates and women's groups felt Biden mishandled the hearings.
From 1991, Joe Biden co-taught a seminar on constitutional law at Widener University School of Law as an adjunct professor.
In 1991, Biden became interested in the Yugoslav Wars after hearing about Serbian abuses during the Croatian War of Independence.
In 1991, Kevin Nealon became the first of nine men to portray Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live.
According to Gallup, public perception of the economy in 2024 was worse only in 2008 and 1992, helping Trump win the 2024 presidential election.
In April 1993, Biden had a tense three-hour meeting with Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević to discuss the Bosnian War.
In 1993, Joe Biden voted for a provision that deemed homosexuality incompatible with military life, thereby banning gay people from serving in the armed forces.
In 1993, Tara Reade alleges she was sexually assaulted by Joe Biden.
In 1994, Joe Biden helped pass the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which included a ban on assault weapons, and the Violence Against Women Act.
In 1995, Biden's term as the chair of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary ended, after which he became a ranking minority member.
In 1996, Joe Biden voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.
In 1996, Joe Biden was reelected to the U.S. Senate.
In 1997, Biden became the ranking minority member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In 1997, Biden's term as ranking minority member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary ended.
In 2000, Bill Clinton vetoed bankruptcy legislation sponsored by Biden, which was sought by credit card issuers. The bill later passed in 2005.
In 2000, William Roth, the senior senator to Joe Biden, was defeated.
In June 2001, Biden became the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a position he held until 2003.
In October 2002, Biden, as head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, voted in favor of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq, approving the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He assembled witnesses to testify in favor of the authorization, who misrepresented the intent, history, and status of Saddam and his government.
In 2002, Joe Biden was reelected to the U.S. Senate.
In 2003, Biden's term as the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ended.
According to an analysis by the Rhodium Group, the Inflation Reduction Act aimed to lower U.S. greenhouse gas emissions between 31% and 44% below the 2005 levels by 2030.
At an international climate summit in April, President Biden announced that the U.S. would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 50%-52% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.
By 2005, Biden called his 2002 vote in favor of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq a "mistake", though he did not push for withdrawal. He supported appropriations for the occupation.
In 2005, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, which Biden supported, passed. He was one of only 18 Democrats to vote for it, despite opposition from leading Democrats and consumer rights organizations. The original version of the bill was vetoed in 2000.
In 2006, Joe Biden helped create the Biden-Gelb Iraqi federalization plan.
In September 2007, Biden advocated dividing Iraq into a loose federation of three ethnic states, and a non-binding resolution endorsing the plan passed the Senate, but the idea failed to gain traction.
During 2007, Biden and Obama got to know each other. Obama appreciated Biden's campaign style and appeal to working-class voters, and Biden said he became convinced Obama was "the real deal".
In 2007, Biden chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee again, holding the position until 2009.
On January 3, 2008, Biden placed fifth in the Iowa caucuses, garnering slightly less than one percent of the state delegates. He withdrew from the race that evening.
In August 2008, Obama and Biden met in secret to discuss the possibility of a place for Biden in the Obama administration, and developed a strong personal rapport. On August 22, Obama announced that Biden would be his running mate. Biden was officially nominated for vice president on August 27 at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
In September 2008, Biden voted for the $700 billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 as the financial crisis reached its peak.
According to Gallup, public perception of the economy in 2024 was worse only in 2008 and 1992, helping Trump win the 2024 presidential election.
Despite its lack of success, Biden's 2008 campaign raised his stature in the political world. In particular, it changed the relationship between Biden and Obama.
During the 2008 election season, Jason Sudeikis portrayed Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live and reprised the role numerous times.
In 2008, Joe Biden ended co-teaching a seminar on constitutional law at Widener University School of Law.
In 2008, Joe Biden unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, but was later chosen as Barack Obama's running mate.
In 2008, Joe Biden was reelected to the U.S. Senate.
In 2008, a spokesperson for Joe Biden said his having had "asthma as a teenager" was the reason for his medical deferment.
Stocks had had their worst year since 2008 before recovering.
Having been reelected to the Senate as well as the vice presidency, Biden made a point of not resigning from the Senate before he was sworn in for his seventh term in January 2009. He resigned from the Senate on January 15.
On January 20, 2009, Joe Biden was sworn in as Vice President of the United States. He was the first vice president from Delaware and the first Roman Catholic vice president.
In April 2009, Joe Biden's off-message response to a question regarding the swine flu outbreak led to a swift retraction by the White House and revived Biden's reputation for gaffes.
In May 2009, Joe Biden visited Kosovo and affirmed the U.S. position that its "independence is irreversible".
In July 2009, amid rising unemployment, Joe Biden acknowledged that the Obama administration had "misread how bad the economy was," while maintaining confidence in the stimulus package.
As of November 2009, Biden's net worth was $27,012.
In 2009, Biden's term as the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ended.
In 2009, Joe Biden became the 47th Vice President of the United States under President Barack Obama.
On March 23, 2010, a hot mic picked up Joe Biden telling Barack Obama that his signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was "a big fucking deal".
In October 2010, Biden said Obama had asked him to remain as his running mate for the 2012 presidential election.
In December 2010, Joe Biden's advocacy for a middle ground, followed by his negotiations with Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, were instrumental in producing the administration's compromise tax package that included a temporary extension of the Bush tax cuts. The package passed as the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010.
In February 2011, Joe Biden completed his role overseeing infrastructure spending from the Obama stimulus package, reporting that fraud incidents with stimulus monies had been less than one percent.
In May 2011, some reports suggest that Joe Biden opposed proceeding with the U.S. mission to kill Osama bin Laden, lest failure adversely affect Obama's reelection prospects.
In 2011, Joe Biden oversaw Iraq policy, becoming the Obama administration's point man in delivering messages to Iraqi leadership before the exit of U.S. troops.
In late 2011, White House Chief of Staff William M. Daley conducted some secret polling and focus group research on the idea of replacing Biden with Hillary Clinton as Obama's running mate. The notion was dropped when the results showed no appreciable improvement.
Biden's May 2012 statement that he was "absolutely comfortable" with same-sex marriage gained considerable public attention in comparison to Obama's position. Biden made his statement without administration consent, and Obama and his aides were irked, since Obama had planned to shift position in the build-up to the party convention. Within days, Obama announced that he too supported same-sex marriage.
In August 2012, during the reelection campaign, Biden remarked before a mixed-race audience that Republican proposals to relax Wall Street regulations would "put y'all back in chains" again, which drew attention to his propensity for colorful remarks.
In December 2012, Barack Obama named Joe Biden to head the Gun Violence Task Force, created to address the causes of school shootings and consider possible gun control measures in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Biden has supported same-sex marriage since 2012.
Biden remained as Obama's running mate for the 2012 election.
On January 20, 2013, Joe Biden was inaugurated to a second term as Vice President at a small ceremony at Number One Observatory Circle. A public ceremony took place on January 21.
In October 2013, Joe Biden played little part in discussions that led to the passage of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, which resolved the federal government shutdown of 2013 and the debt-ceiling crisis of 2013.
In 2013, Joe Biden's Violence Against Women Act was reauthorized again, leading to related developments like the White House Council on Women and Girls.
In the final days before the United States fell off the "fiscal cliff" in 2013, Joe Biden's relationship with Mitch McConnell again proved important as the two negotiated a deal that led to the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 being passed at the start of 2013.
In January 2014, the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault was started with Joe Biden and Valerie Jarrett as co-chairs.
According to The New York Times, Biden often embellishes elements of his life or exaggerates, a trait also noted by The New Yorker in 2014.
From October 2023 to September 2024, deportations reached the highest level since 2014 under the Biden administration.
In 2014, as the ISIL insurgency in Iraq intensified, renewed attention was paid to the Biden-Gelb Iraqi federalization plan of 2006.
It has been alleged that Hunter Biden's job was essentially to trade on the family name and sell his access to dad since 2014 when he joined the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
On December 1, 2024, President Biden issued a "full and unconditional" pardon to Hunter Biden that covered all federal offenses between 2014 and December 1, 2024.
On his last day in office, President Biden issued pardons for more of his family members and other high-profile figures covering federal offenses committed or may have committed between 2014 and the day of the pardon.
The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, which resolved the federal government shutdown of 2013 and the debt-ceiling crisis of 2013 was passed in 2014.
On October 21, 2015, Joe Biden announced his decision not to run for president, particularly due to the recent death of his son Beau.
In 2015, the Defense of Marriage Act, which Joe Biden voted for in 1996, was ruled unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Between 2016 and 2019, media outlets often mentioned Joe Biden as a likely candidate for president in 2020.
During his second term, Joe Biden was often said to be preparing for a bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.
In 2016, Greg Kinnear portrayed Joe Biden in the HBO television film "Confirmation", which focused on the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings.
In 2016, Joe Biden introduced Lady Gaga at the 88th Academy Awards and talked about sexual violence, receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
At the end of his presidency, Biden designated former senior advisors Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini to raise funds for the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Presidential Library. He later signed with talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which previously represented him from 2017 to 2020, to represent him in public engagements.
Biden proposed partially reversing the corporate tax cuts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
In 2017, Joe Biden wrote a memoir, Promise Me, Dad, and went on a book tour.
In 2017, Joe Biden's term as Vice President of the United States concluded.
In January 2018, a political action committee known as Time for Biden was formed.
In 2018, Joe Biden gave a eulogy for Senator John McCain.
In 2024, Trump defeated Harris in the general election and the Senate went Republican for the first time since 2018.
In March 2019, eight women accused Joe Biden of inappropriate physical contact.
In April 2019, Joe Biden pledged to be more "respectful of people's personal space" following accusations of inappropriate physical contact.
On April 25, 2019, Joe Biden launched his campaign for president, citing concerns about the Trump administration and a "sense of duty."
In September 2019, it was reported that Donald Trump had pressured Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate alleged wrongdoing by Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, leading to a political scandal and Trump's impeachment.
By 2019, Joe Biden and his wife reported that they had earned over $15 million since the end of his vice presidency from speaking engagements and book sales.
In 2019, Biden said he supported Roe v. Wade and repealing the Hyde Amendment.
In 2019, Biden told Anita Hill he regretted his treatment of her during Clarence Thomas's nomination hearings in 1991, but Hill said afterward she remained unsatisfied.
In 2019, Joe Biden was an honorary professor at the University of Pennsylvania, developing the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement. He remained in that position into 2019.
In 2019, Tara Reade, accused Joe Biden of inappropriate physical contact.
Throughout 2019, Joe Biden stayed generally ahead of other Democrats in national polls. Despite this, he finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses and fifth in the New Hampshire primary. He performed better in the Nevada caucuses, reaching the 15% required for delegates, but still finished 21.6 percentage points behind Bernie Sanders.
American forces had begun withdrawing from Afghanistan in 2020, under the provisions of a February 2020 US-Taliban agreement that set a May 1, 2021, deadline.
In February 2020, the Trump administration made a deal with the Taliban to completely withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021.
In late March 2020, Tara Reade accused Joe Biden of having sexually assaulted her in 1993.
On April 8, 2020, Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign, making Joe Biden the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee.
On August 18, 2020, at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Joe Biden officially became the Democratic Party nominee for president in the 2020 election.
By November 2020, the Bidens were worth $9 million, largely due to sales of Biden's books and speaking fees after his vice presidency.
In November 2020, Joe Biden was elected the 46th president of the United States, defeating the incumbent, Donald Trump.
Between December 2020 and December 2024, CPI rose 21.3% overall, with an annualized inflation rate of 5.3% throughout Biden's term in office.
At the end of his presidency, Biden designated former senior advisors Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini to raise funds for the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Presidential Library. He later signed with talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which previously represented him from 2017 to 2020, to represent him in public engagements.
Between 2016 and 2019, media outlets often mentioned Joe Biden as a likely candidate for president in 2020.
Despite a 2020 campaign promise to end the practice, in the final year of his presidency, the Biden administration worked to extend at least 14 contracts with private prison companies to run immigrant detention centers.
During his 2020 campaign, President Biden vowed to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court if a vacancy occurred.
During the 2020 election season, Joe Biden was portrayed by John Mulaney, Alex Moffat, Mikey Day, Woody Harrelson, and Jim Carrey on Saturday Night Live.
In 2020, Biden also ran on decriminalizing cannabis, after advocating harsher penalties for drug use as a senator.
In 2020, Joe Biden reused the phrase "a bunch of malarkey" during his presidential campaign. He originally used the phrase during the 2012 vice-presidential debate.
In February 2024, pollsters noted that Biden's ranking was unusually high and experts polled generally regarded Biden's signature accomplishment as his victory over Trump in the 2020 election.
In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris defeated Donald Trump and Mike Pence.
On January 6, 2021, Trump urged his supporters to march to the Capitol while Congress was in session to formalize Biden's victory, leading to hundreds storming the building. During the attack on January 6, 2021, Biden addressed the nation, condemning the events.
On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States, becoming the oldest person to assume the office at 78. He was also the second Catholic U.S. president and the first president elected from Delaware on January 20, 2021.
Gallup, Inc. found Biden's approval ratings to be consistently above 50% during his first few months in office, and in February 2021, he had a 98% approval rating from Democrats.
In February 2021, the Biden administration announced that the United States was ending its support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen and revoked the designation of Yemen's Houthis as terrorists.
As part of his Build Back Better agenda, in late March 2021, President Biden proposed the American Jobs Plan, a $2 trillion package addressing transport, utilities, broadband infrastructure, housing, schools, manufacturing, research, and workforce development.
The inflation rate remained above the Federal Reserve's 2% target every month since March 2021, resulting in elevated interest rates to combat inflation.
The Trump administration had made a deal with the Taliban to completely withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021.
In June 2021, President Biden made his first trip abroad, visiting Belgium, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, attending G7, NATO, and EU summits, and holding talks with Vladimir Putin.
In July 2021, amid a slowing of the COVID-19 vaccination rate in the country and the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, Biden emphasized the importance of Americans getting vaccinated.
In August 2021, Biden's approval rating began to decline, reaching the low forties by December due to events like the Afghanistan withdrawal.
In August 2021, the Senate passed a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, covering transport, utilities, and broadband.
In September 2021, President Biden announced AUKUS, a security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, to ensure "peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific".
In early November 2021, the House approved the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in a bipartisan manner, and Biden signed the bill into law in mid-November 2021.
After 5.9% growth in 2021, real GDP growth cooled in 2022 to 2.1%, after slightly negative growth in the first half spurred recession concerns.
By the end of 2021, President Biden had 40 of his nominees to the federal judiciary confirmed, and prioritized diversity in his judicial appointments.
Illegal border crossings at the Mexico–United States border began to surge in 2021 when Biden assumed office.
In 2021, Biden officially recognized the Armenian genocide, becoming the first U.S. president to do so.
In 2021, Joe Biden assumed office as the 46th President of the United States.
In 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package aimed at supporting the U.S. recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The package included direct payments, unemployment benefits extension, and funds for vaccine distribution in 2021.
In 2021, during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), President Biden promoted an agreement for the U.S. and the European Union to cut methane emissions by a third by 2030 and pledged to double climate funding to developing countries by 2024.
In 2021, on his first day in office, President Biden proposed the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021.
On February 7, 2025, Donald Trump revoked Biden's security clearance, ending his access to classified information. In 2021, Biden revoked Trump's security clearance for his role in inciting the January 6 Capitol attack.
The Honoring our PACT Act of 2022 was introduced in 2021 and signed into law by Biden on August 10, 2022. The act intends to significantly improve healthcare access and funding for veterans who were exposed to toxic substances, including burn pits, during military service.
The period from 2021 to 2023 saw an inflation surge that overshadowed Joe Biden's presidency.
In January 2022, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his intention to retire.
In January 2022, an executive order to increase the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15 per hour went into effect for 390,000 workers.
In February 2022, the Russian Armed Forces under President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine. President Biden responded by imposing severe sanctions on Russia and authorizing over $8 billion in weapons shipments to Ukraine.
In early February 2022, President Biden ordered a counterterrorism raid in northern Syria that resulted in the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the second leader of the Islamic State.
In April 2022, President Biden signed into law the bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 to revamp the finances and operations of the United States Postal Service agency.
In June 2022, inflation in the US peaked at 9.1% during Biden's presidency.
On June 25, 2022, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law, aimed at addressing gun reform issues following the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
On July 21, 2022, Biden tested positive for COVID-19 with reportedly mild symptoms and was treated with Paxlovid.
On July 30, 2022, Biden tested positive again for COVID-19 and returned to isolation.
On August 7, 2022, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act with a 51-50 vote, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie. The bill aims to raise $739 billion and authorize $370 billion in spending on energy and climate change, $300 billion in deficit reduction, Affordable Care Act subsidies, prescription drug reform, and tax reform.
President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law on August 9, 2022. It provided billions in funding to boost domestic research and manufacture of semiconductors.
On August 10, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022. The act intends to improve healthcare access and funding for veterans exposed to toxic substances during military service.
On September 2, 2022, President Biden delivered a nationally broadcast speech in Philadelphia calling for a "battle for the soul of the nation" and referred to Trump supporters as "semi-fascists", which drew criticism.
In a September 2022 interview with 60 Minutes, Biden said that U.S. forces would defend Taiwan in the event of "an unprecedented attack" by the Chinese.
On October 6, 2022, President Biden pardoned all Americans convicted of "small" amounts of cannabis possession under federal law.
In November 2022, Biden's attorneys found classified documents dating from his vice presidency in a "locked closet" at the Penn Biden Center.
In December 2022, Biden signed the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, prohibiting the use of TikTok on devices owned by the federal government.
After 5.9% growth in 2021, real GDP growth cooled in 2022 to 2.1%, after slightly negative growth in the first half spurred recession concerns.
After Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, he criticized near-total bans on abortion access passed in a majority of Republican-controlled states, and took measures to protect abortion rights in the United States. He vowed to sign a bill codifying the protections of Roe into federal law; such a bill passed the House in 2022, but was unable to clear the Senate filibuster.
In 2022, Congress approved about $113 billion in aid to Ukraine.
In 2022, President Biden blocked a national railroad strike planned by multiple labor unions.
In 2022, President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, which repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and requires the federal government to recognize the validity of same-sex and interracial marriages.
In 2022, journalist Sasha Issenberg wrote that Biden's "most valuable political skill" was "an innate compass for the ever-shifting mainstream of the Democratic Party".
In 2022, the Build Back Better Act was reworked into the Inflation Reduction Act, addressing deficit reduction, climate change, healthcare, and tax reform.
In 2022, the Siena College Research Institute's survey ranked Joe Biden as the 19th best president out of 45 presidents.
On January 11, 2023, the House of Representatives launched an investigative committee into the foreign business activities of Biden's son, Hunter, and brother, James.
On February 4, 2023, Biden ordered the United States Air Force to shoot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina.
In March 2023, three U.S. banks failed, triggering a decline in global bank stock prices. President Biden expressed opposition to a bailout by taxpayers and claimed the rollback of Dodd-Frank regulations contributed to the bank's failure.
On April 25, 2023, Biden confirmed he would run for reelection as president in the 2024 election, with Harris again as his running mate.
In July 2023, amidst heat waves in the United States, President Biden announced measures to protect the population, linking the heat waves to climate change.
President Biden extended the COVID-19 student loan pause through September 2023, with an "on ramp" period that extended some protections through September 30, 2024.
By October 2023, Biden's rating among Democrats had reached a record low of 75%.
Despite his clean energy policies and congressional Republicans characterizing them as a "War on American Energy", domestic oil production reached a record high in October 2023.
From October 2023 to September 2024, deportations reached the highest level since 2014 under the Biden administration.
In October 2023, following Hamas's surprise attack on Israel, Biden stated his unequivocal support for Israel, condemned the attack, deployed aircraft carriers, and called for additional military aid. He also later pressured Israel to address the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
In October 2023, the Biden administration requested an additional $61.4 billion in aid for Ukraine for the year ahead, but delays in the passage of further aid by the House of Representatives inhibited progress.
Inflation eased to 3.2% by October 2023, recovering from a peak of 9.1% in June of 2022.
On December 13, 2023, the House of Representatives voted 221–212 to formalize an impeachment inquiry into Biden.
As of December 2023, Congressional investigations, including by the House Oversight committee, have discovered no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden.
In December 2023, illegal border crossings at the Mexico–United States border reached an all-time monthly high under the Biden administration.
On December 22, 2023, President Biden pardoned Americans for cannabis use or possession on federal lands, regardless of charges or prosecution.
In 2023, Biden's approval rating was the lowest of any modern U.S. president after three years in office.
In 2023, President Biden and congressional Republicans engaged in a standoff after the U.S. hit its debt limit. Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a deal to raise the debt limit, averting a potential default.
The period from 2021 to 2023 saw an inflation surge that overshadowed Joe Biden's presidency.
As of January 2024, over a million migrants had been admitted to the U.S. under humanitarian parole during the Biden administration.
In January 2024, President Biden expressed support for a proposed bipartisan immigration deal led by Senators Kyrsten Sinema and James Lankford, which included measures to close the border under certain conditions and mandate detention for asylum seekers.
On January 17, 2024, a Republican-led non-binding resolution denouncing the Biden-Harris administration's handling of the U.S. southern border passed the House of Representatives with some Democratic support.
On February 8, 2024, Robert K. Hur announced that no charges would be brought against Biden regarding the handling of classified documents.
In February 2024, Alexander Smirnov, a former intelligence informant who was prominent in the bribery allegations against Biden, was charged with making false statements.
In February 2024, an American Political Science Association poll of historians and scholars ranked Biden as the 14th-greatest president, diverging from public assessments.
Following the killing of Palestinian civilians receiving food aid on February 29, 2024, Biden stated that the current level of aid flowing into Gaza was insufficient.
On March 7, 2024, formal Swedish ascension into NATO occurred.
A March 2024 Gallup poll found that a strong majority of Americans disapproved of Israeli conduct during the war.
Beginning in April 2024, widespread Gaza war protests emerged on university campuses, denouncing Biden.
In April 2024, Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which would ban social networking services if they are determined to be a "foreign adversary controlled application".
In April 2024, President Biden unveiled a plan to protect and restore natural water sources, including 3.2 million hectares of wetlands and 161,000 km of waterways.
In April 2024, an additional $61 billion in aid to Ukraine was added after delays in the passage of further aid by the House of Representatives.
As of May 2024, Biden has continued to support Israel during the course of the war despite significant domestic opposition to American involvement and subsequent widespread protests.
In May 2024, Biden granted an exception for Ukraine to utilize weapons against Russian military targets in the vicinity of Kharkiv for "counter-fire" purposes, after consistently refusing such requests throughout the conflict.
In May 2024, the Biden administration doubled tariffs on solar cells imported from China and more than tripled tariffs on lithium-ion electric vehicle batteries imported from China. It also raised tariffs on imports of Chinese steel, aluminum, and medical materials.
On May 31, 2024, Biden announced his support for an Israeli ceasefire proposal, stating that Hamas was "no longer capable" of another large-scale attack.
In June 2024, Biden issued an executive action offering amnesty to unauthorized immigrants married to American citizens, including a pathway to residency and citizenship, initially affecting about 500,000 people. The program was later struck down.
In June 2024, President Biden issued an executive order allowing the president to restrict the Mexico–U.S. border.
The media widely covered public concern about Biden's mental acuity after a weak performance in a June 2024 presidential debate.
On June 27, 2024, the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump occurred, with Biden's performance being widely criticized. Commentators noted that he frequently lost his train of thought, and his answers were meandering. Several newspaper columnists declared Trump the winner, and polling indicated the majority of viewers believed Trump won the debate.
In July 2024, just before he withdrew from the 2024 presidential election, Gallup found his approval rating had fallen to an all-time low of 36%.
On July 17, 2024, Biden again tested positive for COVID-19.
On August 6, 2024, Kamala Harris was confirmed as the Democratic presidential nominee after Biden withdrew his candidacy.
As of August 2024, the U.S. remained Afghanistan's biggest aid donor as of August 2024, spending at least $20.7 billion post-withdrawal. U.S. funding has helped support the Taliban government and stabilize Afghanistan's economy.
In August 2024, President Biden negotiated and oversaw the 2024 Ankara prisoner exchange, involving the release of 26 people including journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.
From October 2023 to September 2024, deportations reached the highest level since 2014 under the Biden administration.
On September 25, 2024, the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning the Biden administration for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Biden extended the COVID-19 student loan pause through September 2023, with an "on ramp" period that extended some of the pause's protections against credit reporting, collection efforts, and late payment fees through September 30, 2024.
President Biden refused to block a port strike from the International Longshoremen's Association in October 2024.
In November 2024, the Biden administration announced that it had helped broker a ceasefire agreement in the Israel–Hezbollah conflict.
On December 1, 2024, President Biden issued a "full and unconditional" pardon to Hunter Biden, covering all federal offenses between 2014 and December 1, 2024.
On December 12, 2024, President Biden granted clemency to about 1,500 nonviolent felons in home confinement, marking the largest single-day clemency act in history. This act generated controversy because it included felons such as Michael Conahan and Rita Crundwell.
A December 2024 Gallup poll indicated that 54% of Americans viewed Joe Biden's presidency as below average or poor, 26% as average, and 19% as above average or outstanding, with negative assessments on economic, national, and international issues.
By December 2024, the last full month of Biden's term, the inflation rate reached 2.9% and the core inflation rate reached 3.2% on an annual basis.
In December 2024, Biden pardoned Hunter Biden following his conviction on gun and tax charges despite repeated promises that he would not do so.
On December 23, 2024, President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates.
In 2024, Biden won 15 of 16 primaries on Super Tuesday. On March 6, Phillips suspended his campaign and endorsed Biden. On March 12, Biden reached more than the 1,968 delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination, becoming the presumptive nominee.
In 2024, Dana Carvey portrayed Joe Biden on Saturday Night Live.
In 2024, Kamala Harris lost the presidential election to Donald Trump.
In 2024, Kamala Harris was defeated by Donald Trump in the presidential election.
In 2024, Trump defeated Harris in the general election. Also, the Senate went Republican for the first time since 2018.
In 2024, after renewed scrutiny of his cognitive ability, Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy for reelection in the 2024 presidential election.
In 2024, journalist Amy Walter argued that Biden's presidency was deemed a failure by the public, particularly due to frustration over inflation, which helped Trump win the 2024 presidential election.
The 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert survey ranked Joe Biden as the 14th best president.
Throughout 2024, Biden campaigned for reelection, promoting higher economic growth and recovery and stating his intention to "finish the job".
On January 9, 2025, Joe Biden delivered the eulogy at Jimmy Carter's funeral.
At the beginning of the 118th Congress, Biden and congressional Republicans engaged in a standoff after the U.S. hit its debt limit, which raised the risk that the U.S. would default on its debt. Biden and House speaker Kevin McCarthy struck a deal to raise the debt limit, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which suspended the debt limit until January 2025.
Biden's final approval rating in January 2025 was 40%, which was low but still higher than several other presidents' final approval ratings.
In January 2025, President Biden declared the lapsed Equal Rights Amendment ratified as the "28th Amendment" to the constitution. However, the declaration has no formal effect.
In January 2025, during a nationally televised speech after the election, Biden congratulated Trump and promised a "peaceful and orderly" transition of power. In an interview later that month, Biden claimed he could have defeated Trump had he not been persuaded to withdraw from the election.
On January 20, 2025, Biden's term ended upon Trump's second inauguration.
On February 7, 2025, Donald Trump revoked Biden's security clearance, ending his access to classified information.
On April 15, 2025, Biden made his first major public appearance since leaving office, delivering remarks at an Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled (ACRD) conference in Chicago. In his address, he criticized the Trump administration's handling of the Social Security Administration.
Joe Biden's term as president ended in 2025.
When Joe Biden left office in 2025, many journalists and Democrats considered his presidency a failure due to concerns about his age and health, public frustration with inflation, and Kamala Harris' defeat in the 2024 election.
According to an analysis by the Rhodium Group, the Inflation Reduction Act aimed to lower U.S. greenhouse gas emissions between 31% and 44% below the 2005 levels by 2030.
At an international climate summit in April, President Biden announced that the U.S. would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 50%-52% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.
Biden wants to achieve a carbon-free power sector in the U.S. by 2035 and stop emissions completely by 2050.
Biden wants to achieve a carbon-free power sector in the U.S. by 2035 and stop emissions completely by 2050.
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