President Biden said in an interview broadcast on Saturday that he hopes his legacy “is that I restored the soul of this country.”
In a wide-ranging interview with progressive political host Brian Tyler Cohen, Biden said that he hoped he would be remembered for restoring “some decency and honor to the office” of the presidency, rebuilding America’s middle class and repairing partnerships with other countries.
“I hope my legacy is that I was able to restore some decency and honor to the office; I was able to bring the middle class back to a place where they had real opportunity, given an even chance to succeed; and I was able to reconstruct our alliances, which had been frayed so badly, internationally, and that I was able to bring people together,” Biden said during the interview. “Bring the politics of America together.”
“And I think we’re making slow progress,” he added.
Biden has continued to suffer low approval ratings in his first year in office, including on his handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll released on Friday found that only a third of Americans approved of Biden’s handling on the conflict, in comparison with 47 percent who disapproved and 20 percent who had no opinion.
The president has juggled a multitude of issues in addition to the invasion since taking office, including a lingering COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and supply chain issues, infighting among Democrats over the administration’s legislative agenda and the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan.
In addition, Democrats are expected to face a challenging 2022 midterm election this November given the currently even partisan divide in the Senate and their narrow advantage in the House.