Joe Biden's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Joe Biden. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

Joe Biden is an American politician who served as the 46th President of the United States (2021-2025). A Democrat, he represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate from 1973 to 2009. He also served as the 47th Vice President under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017.

Sections (7)

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

1972: Elected as U.S. Senator from Delaware

In 1972, Joe Biden defeated Republican incumbent J. Caleb Boggs to become the junior U.S. senator from Delaware.

1984: Comprehensive Crime Control Act Passage

In 1984, Joe Biden served as a Democratic floor manager for the successful passage of the Comprehensive Crime Control Act. He was praised for modifying some of the law's worst provisions.

1988: Robert Bork Nomination Hearings

In 1988, as chair, Joe Biden presided over the contentious U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Robert Bork. Biden reversed his previous approval of a hypothetical Bork nomination, objecting to Bork's originalism and its conflict with unenumerated rights in the U.S. Constitution. Bork's nomination was rejected.

November 2020: Biden Elected as 46th President

In November 2020, Joe Biden was elected as the 46th president of the United States, defeating incumbent Donald Trump, although the transition was delayed due to false claims of widespread electoral fraud by Trump.

2020: Experts regarded Biden's victory over Trump as his signature accomplishment

Experts regarded Joe Biden's victory over Trump in the 2020 election as his signature accomplishment, which was perceived as helping to protect and restore political and institutional norms in U.S. government.

2020: Defeated Trump and Pence in the presidential election

In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris defeated Republican incumbents Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

February 2021: High Approval Rating Among Democrats

In February 2021, Gallup, Inc. found that Joe Biden had a 98% approval rating from Democrats during his first few months in office.

August 2021: Senate Passes Infrastructure Bill

In August 2021, the Senate passed a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, covering infrastructure related to transport, utilities, and broadband.

November 2021: House Approves Infrastructure Bill

In early November 2021, the House of Representatives approved the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bipartisan bill focused on infrastructure related to transport, utilities, and broadband.

2021: Biden Signs American Rescue Plan Act into Law

In 2021, Joe Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus and relief package designed to support the United States' recovery from the economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

August 7, 2022: Senate Passes Inflation Reduction Act

On August 7, 2022, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act with a 51-50 vote, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie.

2022: Siena College Research Institute's survey ranked Biden 19th out of 45 presidents

The Siena College Research Institute's 2022 survey ranked Joe Biden 19th out of 45 presidents.

February 2023: Unemployment Rate Falls to 53-Year Low

In February 2023, the unemployment rate fell to 3.4%, a 53-year low, during Joe Biden's presidency.

2023: Debt Limit Deal

In 2023, President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached an agreement, the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, to raise the U.S. debt limit and suspend it until January 2025, averting a potential default.

February 8, 2024: Hur announces no charges against Biden

On February 8, 2024, Special Counsel Robert Hur announced that no charges would be brought against President Biden regarding the classified documents matter.

February 2024: American Political Science Association poll ranks Biden 14th-greatest president

A February 2024 American Political Science Association poll of historians and scholars ranked Joe Biden the 14th-greatest president, diverging from public assessments. The experts polled generally regarded Biden's signature accomplishment as his victory over Trump in the 2020 election.

August 2024: Negotiated 2024 Ankara prisoner exchange

In August 2024, President Biden negotiated and oversaw the 2024 Ankara prisoner exchange, which was the largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War. It involved the release of 26 people, including journalist Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.

November 2024: Ceasefire agreement in Israel–Hezbollah conflict

In November 2024, the Biden administration announced that it helped broker a ceasefire agreement in the Israel–Hezbollah conflict.

2024: Dean Phillips runs against Biden in Democratic presidential primaries

U.S. Representative Dean Phillips ran against Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries, campaigning as a younger alternative. Biden won the New Hampshire primary as a write-in candidate. On March 6, 2024 Phillips suspended his campaign and endorsed Biden, who became the presumptive nominee on March 12, 2024.