Public image of Joe Biden

A long-standing parody of Biden by The Onion, popular during his time as Barack Obama's vice president, is thought by some to have contributed positively to his public image.

[17][18] CNN wrote in 2020 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.

[39] Biden 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.

[37] The Times wrote, "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.

"[42] Politico described Biden as "playing into Democrats' worst fears" and "while he wasn't speaking, he stood frozen behind his podium, mouth agape, his eyes wide and unblinking for long stretches of time.

Between 2009 and 2019, satirical online newspaper The Onion consistently portrayed Biden as an outrageous character who shared almost nothing in common with his namesake besides the title of vice president of the United States.

[50] The publication portrayed Biden as a blue-collar "average Joe", an affable "goofy uncle", a muscle car driver, an avid fan of 1980s hair metal, a raucous party animal, a shameless womanizer, a recidivist petty criminal, and a drug-dealing outlaw.

[54] Despite the extreme differences between the fictional character and the real politician, The Onion was regarded as having a significant, mostly positive influence on Biden's public image.

[48][53] Commentators noted that the character likely reinforced public perceptions of Biden as a political figure with populist working-class appeal and a good-natured, easy-going disposition.

During the 2020 United States Presidential election various performers played Biden including John Mulaney, Alex Moffat, Mikey Day, Woody Harrelson and Jim Carrey.

[55][56] In 2016, Greg Kinnear portrayed then Senator Biden in the HBO television film Confirmation about the controversial Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination hearings.

[59] Joe McGovern of Entertainment Weekly cited his performance as being "fantastic", adding "Kinnear nails the duality of Biden’s position, attempting on one hand to maintain comity among his colleagues in the Senate while also trying, often fecklessly, to be sensitive to Hill".

[61] Biden began his presidency with an approval rating above 53 percent, according to the same source, FiveThirtyEight, which takes an average of multiple individual polls.

[63] In August 2023, a poll by the Associated Press and NORC Public Affairs Research Center found that three-quarters of people think Biden is too old for another term.

[73][74] During the campaign for the 2024 United States presidential election, there was concern from the public and then-former President Donald Trump about his health and fitness for office.

[76] When his term ended, Biden was 82 years and 2 months old, the oldest sitting president in United States history upon leaving office.