How Joe Biden Shaped the Future: A Legacy Timeline

A closer look at the lasting mark left by Joe Biden—a timeline of influence.

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.

Sections (7)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

2005: Called Vote a Mistake

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.

2012: Biden Supports Same-Sex Marriage

Biden has supported same-sex marriage since 2012.

2017: Biden Signs With CAA

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.

2017: Biden Proposed Reversing Corporate Tax Cuts

Biden proposed partially reversing the corporate tax cuts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

April 2019: Biden pledges to be more respectful

In April 2019, Joe Biden pledged to be more "respectful of people's personal space" following accusations of inappropriate physical contact.

2019: Biden Supported Roe v. Wade and Repealing Hyde Amendment

In 2019, Biden said he supported Roe v. Wade and repealing the Hyde Amendment.

2019: Regretted treatment of Anita Hill

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.

December 2020: Pre-Presidency Economic Data

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.

2020: Biden Signs With CAA

2020: Biden Ran on Decriminalizing Cannabis

In 2020, Biden also ran on decriminalizing cannabis, after advocating harsher penalties for drug use as a senator.

2020: Biden's Victory Over Trump

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.

February 2021: Biden's High Approval Among Democrats

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.

2021: Judicial Nominations and Diversity

By the end of 2021, President Biden had 40 of his nominees to the federal judiciary confirmed, and prioritized diversity in his judicial appointments.

2021: Biden Officially Recognized Armenian Genocide

In 2021, Biden officially recognized the Armenian genocide, becoming the first U.S. president to do so.

2022: House Passed Bill Codifying Roe

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.

2022: Journalist Comments on Biden's Political Skill

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".

2022: Siena College survey ranks Biden 19th

In 2022, the Siena College Research Institute's survey ranked Joe Biden as the 19th best president out of 45 presidents.

October 2023: Domestic Oil Production Reaches Record High

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.

February 2024: Biden Ranked 14th-Greatest President in APSA Poll

In February 2024, an American Political Science Association poll of historians and scholars ranked Biden as the 14th-greatest president, diverging from public assessments.