Joe Biden

== Public image ==
{{Main|Public image of Joe Biden}}
Biden was consistently ranked one of the least wealthy [[United States Senate|members of the Senate]],<ref name="lat082408nw">{{cite news|last=Wallsten|first=Peter|date=August 24, 2008|title=Demographics part of calculation: Biden adds experience, yes, but he could also help with Catholics, blue-collar whites and women|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-aug-24-na-assess24-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=August 25, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515025410/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-aug-24-na-assess24-story.html|archive-date=May 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Broder|first=John M.|date=September 13, 2008|title=Biden Releases Tax Returns, in Part to Pressure Rivals|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/us/politics/13biden.html|url-status=live|access-date=September 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425024153/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/us/politics/13biden.html|archive-date=April 25, 2011}}</ref> which he attributed to his having been elected young.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mooney|first=Alexander|date=September 12, 2008|title=Biden tax returns revealed|publisher=[[CNN]]|url=https://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/12/biden-tax-returns-revealed/|url-status=live|access-date=September 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913001912/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/12/biden-tax-returns-revealed/|archive-date=September 13, 2008}}</ref> Feeling that less-wealthy public officials may be tempted to accept contributions in exchange for political favors, he proposed [[Campaign finance reform in the United States|campaign finance reform]] measures during his first term.<ref name="cby-44" /> {{As of|2009|November}}, Biden's net worth was $27,012.<ref>{{cite news|first=Brian|last=Montopoli|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/237-millionaires-in-congress/|title=237 Millionaires in Congress|publisher=[[CBS News]]|date=November 6, 2009|access-date=August 25, 2021|archive-date=August 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818145713/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/237-millionaires-in-congress/|url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2020|November|alt=By November 2020}}, the Bidens were worth $9&nbsp;million, largely due to sales of Biden's books and speaking fees after his vice presidency.<ref>{{cite web|date=January 7, 2020|access-date=August 25, 2021|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-net-worth-lifestyle-real-estate-family-wealth-assets-2020-1|title=President-elect Joe Biden just turned 78. Here's how he went from 'Middle-Class Joe' to millionaire.|first=Taylor|last=Borden|website=[[Business Insider]]|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319163402/https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-net-worth-lifestyle-real-estate-family-wealth-assets-2020-1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelatindera/2019/08/28/joe-bidens-net-worth-how-the-2020-presidential-candidate-built-a-9-million-fortune/|title=Here's How Much 2020 Presidential Candidate Joe Biden Is Worth|first=Michela|last=Tindera|date=August 28, 2019|access-date=August 24, 2021|magazine=[[Forbes]]|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319162048/https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelatindera/2019/08/28/joe-bidens-net-worth-how-the-2020-presidential-candidate-built-a-9-million-fortune/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The political writer [[Howard Fineman]] has written, "Biden is not an academic, he's not a theoretical thinker, he's a great street pol. He comes from a long line of working people in Scranton—auto salesmen, car dealers, people who know how to make a sale. He has that great Irish gift."<ref name="watn020109" /> Political columnist [[David S. Broder]] wrote that Biden has grown over time: "He responds to real people—that's been consistent throughout. And his ability to understand himself and deal with other politicians has gotten much much better."<ref name="watn020109" /> Journalist [[James Traub]] has written that "Biden is the kind of fundamentally happy person who can be as generous toward others as he is to himself".<ref name="nytm-traub" /> In recent years, especially after the 2015 death of his elder son Beau, Biden has been noted for his empathetic nature and ability to communicate about grief.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Baldoni|first=John|title=How Empathy Defines Joe Biden|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbaldoni/2020/08/20/how-empathy-defines-joe-biden/|date=August 20, 2020|access-date=March 17, 2021|magazine=[[Forbes]]|archive-date=June 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618172934/https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbaldoni/2020/08/20/how-empathy-defines-joe-biden/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Nagle|first=Molly|date=December 19, 2020|title=Nearly 50 years after death of wife and daughter, empathy remains at Joe Biden's core|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/50-years-death-wife-daughter-empathy-remains-joe/story?id=74814251|access-date=March 17, 2021|agency=[[ABC News]]|archive-date=March 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302080416/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/50-years-death-wife-daughter-empathy-remains-joe/story?id=74814251|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, [[CNN]] wrote that his presidential campaign aimed to make him "healer-in-chief", while ''[[The New York Times]]'' described his extensive history of being called upon to give eulogies.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Glueck|first1=Katie|last2=Flegenheimer|first2=Matt|date=June 11, 2020|title=Joe Biden, Emissary of Grief|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/11/us/politics/joe-biden-funeral-speech.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611071047/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/11/us/politics/joe-biden-funeral-speech.html |archive-date=June 11, 2020 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=March 17, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Journalist and TV anchor [[Wolf Blitzer]] has called Biden loquacious;<ref>{{cite news|date=January 12, 2006|title=Transcripts|work=[[The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer|The Situation Room]]|publisher=CNN|url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/12/sitroom.01.html|url-status=live|access-date=September 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719103425/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/12/sitroom.01.html|archive-date=July 19, 2008}}</ref> journalist Mark Bowden has said that he is famous for "talking too much", leaning in close "like an old pal with something urgent to tell you".<ref name=":6" /> He often deviates from prepared remarks<ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Ben|date=December 2, 2008|title=Biden, enemy of the prepared remarks|newspaper=[[Politico]]|url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2008/12/biden-enemy-of-the-prepared-remarks-014500|url-status=live|access-date=December 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911131530/http://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2008/12/biden-enemy-of-the-prepared-remarks-014500|archive-date=September 11, 2015}}</ref> and sometimes "puts his foot in his mouth".<ref name="nyt-no2" /><ref name="abc-loq">{{cite news|last=Tapper|first=Jake|author-link=Jake Tapper|date=January 31, 2007|title=A Biden Problem: Foot in Mouth|agency=[[ABC News]]|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=2838420|url-status=live|access-date=September 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080827211803/http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=2838420|archive-date=August 27, 2008}}</ref><ref name="time-pcs">{{cite magazine|last=Halperin|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Halperin|date=August 23, 2008|title=Halperin on Biden: Pros and Cons|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|url=https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1835480,00.html|url-status=live|access-date=September 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722092813/http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1835480,00.html|archive-date=July 22, 2014}}</ref> Biden has a reputation for being prone to [[political gaffe|gaffes]]<ref name=threewords>{{cite news |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/joe-biden-news-joe-biden-gaffe-joe-biden-speech-mistakes-watch-joe-biden-in-latest-gaffe-has-two-words-to-say-made-in-america-101665383434183.html |access-date=August 23, 2023 |newspaper=[[Hindustan Times]] |first=Mallika |last=Bhagat |title=Watch: Joe Biden's latest gaffe- a rocky start and a counting problem |quote='Let me start off with two words: Made in America' |date=October 10, 2022}}</ref> and in 2018 called himself "a gaffe machine".<ref>{{cite news |first=Luke |last=O'Neil |date=April 25, 2019 |title='I am a gaffe machine': a history of Joe Biden's biggest blunders |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/25/joe-biden-2020-public-gaffes-mistakes-history |access-date=January 26, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202133135/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/25/joe-biden-2020-public-gaffes-mistakes-history |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Broder |first=John M. |date=September 11, 2008 |title=Hanging On to Biden's Every Word: Biden living up to his gaffe-prone reputation |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/us/politics/12biden.html |access-date=February 13, 2023 |issn=0362-4331 |quote=But, boy, does he say some curious things. A day on the campaign trail without a cringe-inducing gaffe is a rare blessing. He has not been too blessed lately.... a human verbal wrecking crew.}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' wrote that Biden's "weak filters make him capable of blurting out pretty much anything."<ref name="nyt-no2"/> 
[[File:Joe Biden 81st birthday.jpg|thumb|Joe Biden's 81st birthday cake.]]
Joe Biden is the oldest sitting president in United States history.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Klein |first=Betsy |date=2023-11-20 |title=Biden's birthday prompts debate about age and wisdom of America's oldest president {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/20/politics/joe-biden-birthday-81/index.html |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=Peter |date=November 19, 2023 |title=For an Aging President, a Birthday With a Bite |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/19/us/politics/biden-birthday-age.html |access-date=March 30, 2024 |website=www.nytimes.com}}</ref> During his presidency, Republicans, Democrats, and pundits raised questions about Biden's cognitive health in reaction to his publicized gaffes. Biden has repeatedly said that he is fit for the presidency.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Siegel |first=Dr. Marc |title=Should the nation be concerned about Biden's cognitive abilities? |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/591990-should-the-nation-be-concerned-about-bidens-cognitive-abilities/ |newspaper=The Hill}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Stolberg |first=Sheryl Gay |date=November 19, 2022 |title=President Biden Is Turning 80. Experts Say Age Is More Than a Number. |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/19/us/politics/biden-age-health.html |access-date=September 13, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 25, 2023 |title=How Joe Biden's campaign hopes to overcome his age problem |agency=[[BBC News]]|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65389142 |access-date=September 13, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Joe Biden: 'Why the hell would I take a cognitive test?' |agency=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-53671679 |access-date=September 13, 2023}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":3">{{Cite magazine |last=Osnos |first=Evan |date=July 20, 2014 |title=The Evolution of Joe Biden |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/07/28/biden-agenda |access-date=December 6, 2022 |magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> For instance, he has claimed to have been more active in the [[civil rights movement]] than he actually was, and has falsely recalled being an excellent student who earned three college degrees.<ref name=":3" /> The ''Times'' wrote, "Mr. Biden's folksiness can veer into folklore, with dates that don't quite add up and details that are exaggerated or wrong, the factual edges shaved off to make them more powerful for audiences."<ref name=":4">{{cite news |last1=Shear |first1=Michael D. |last2=Qiu |first2=Linda |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/10/us/politics/biden-exaggeration-falsehood.html |title=Biden, Storyteller in Chief, Spins Yarns That Often Unravel |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 10, 2022 |accessdate=October 11, 2022 }}</ref>

=== Job approval ===
According to [[Morning Consult]] polling, Biden maintained an [[Opinion poll|approval rating]] above 50 percent in the first eight months of his presidency. In August 2021, it began to decline, and it reached the low forties by December.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Jeffrey M. |date=December 21, 2021 |title=Joe Biden's Job Approval Rating Steady in December |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/358343/joe-biden-job-approval-rating-steady-december.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123222342/https://news.gallup.com/poll/358343/joe-biden-job-approval-rating-steady-december.aspx |archive-date=January 23, 2022 |access-date=February 2, 2022 |publisher=Gallup, Inc.}}</ref> This was attributed to the Afghanistan withdrawal, increasing hospitalizations from the [[SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant|Delta variant]], [[2021–2023 inflation surge|high inflation and gas prices]], disarray within the Democratic Party, and a general decline in popularity customary in politics.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Frostenson |first1=Sarah |date=October 12, 2021 |title=Why Has Biden's Approval Rating Gotten So Low So Quickly? |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-has-bidens-approval-rating-gotten-so-low-so-quickly/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012100615/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-has-bidens-approval-rating-gotten-so-low-so-quickly/ |archive-date=October 12, 2021 |access-date=February 1, 2022 |website=FiveThirtyEight}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Graham |first1=David A. |date=November 19, 2021 |title=Six Theories of Joe Biden's Crumbling Popularity |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/11/biden-approval-rating/620751/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112230703/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/11/biden-approval-rating/620751/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |access-date=June 18, 2022 |magazine=The Atlantic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Rupar |first1=Aaron |date=September 20, 2021 |title=Why Biden's approval numbers have sagged, explained by an expert |url=https://www.vox.com/2021/9/20/22678173/biden-polls-approval-rating-morning-consult |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028195231/https://www.vox.com/2021/9/20/22678173/biden-polls-approval-rating-morning-consult |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |access-date=February 1, 2022 |website=Vox}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Montanaro |first1=Domenico |date=September 2, 2021 |title=Biden's Approval Rating Hits A New Low After The Afghanistan Withdrawal |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/09/02/1033433959/biden-approval-rating-afghanistan-withdrawal |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027035207/https://www.npr.org/2021/09/02/1033433959/biden-approval-rating-afghanistan-withdrawal |archive-date=October 27, 2021 |access-date=February 1, 2022 |publisher=NPR}}</ref> According to ''Gallup'', Biden averaged 41 percent approval in his second year in office,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=J |date=January 25, 2023 |title=Biden Averaged 41% Job Approval in His Second Year |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/468806/biden-averaged-job-approval-second-year.aspx |access-date=January 9, 2024 |website=Gallup.com |language=en}}</ref> and 39.8 percent in his third year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=J |date=January 25, 2024 |title=Biden's Third-Year Job Approval Average of 39.8% Second Worst |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/609188/biden-third-year-job-approval-average-second-worst.aspx |access-date=January 28, 2024 |website=Gallup.com |language=en}}</ref>

In February 2021, [[Gallup, Inc.]] reported that 98 percent of Democrats approved of Biden.<ref name="BidenGallup">{{Cite web |title=Presidential Job Approval Center |url=https://news.gallup.com/interactives/185273/presidential-job-approval-center.aspx |access-date=July 31, 2022 |publisher=Gallup, Inc.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Jeffrey M. |date=February 4, 2021 |title=Biden Begins Term With 57% Job Approval |publisher=Gallup, Inc. |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/329348/biden-begins-term-job-approval.aspx |access-date=July 18, 2023}}</ref> As of December 2023, that number had declined to 78 percent.<ref name="gallup2023end" /> His approval rating among Republicans reached a high of 12 percent in February 2021 and again in July 2021.<ref name="BidenGallup"/>

Biden ended 2023 with a job approval rating of 39 percent, the lowest of any modern U.S. president after three years in office.<ref name="gallup2023end" >{{Cite web|url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/547763/biden-ends-2023-job-approval.aspx|title=Biden Ends 2023 With 39% Job Approval|first=Megan|last=Brenan|date=December 22, 2023|website=Gallup.com}}</ref>