That's a question where reasonable people genuinely disagree, and the answer depends a lot on what you value and how you weigh different outcomes.

**Things supporters point to:**
- Affordable Care Act expanded health insurance coverage to ~20 million people
- Oversaw recovery from the 2008 financial crisis; unemployment fell from 10% to 4.7%
- Killed Osama bin Laden
- Paris Climate Agreement and Iran nuclear deal
- Dodd-Frank financial regulations
- Legalization of same-sex marriage occurred during his tenure (via Supreme Court)

**Things critics point to:**
- National debt nearly doubled
- ACA raised premiums for some and didn't deliver promised cost savings
- Expanded drone warfare and surveillance programs
- Withdrawal from Iraq preceded ISIS's rise
- Race relations arguably worsened by end of term
- Slow economic recovery compared to historical norms
- Failed "red line" in Syria

**Historians' rankings** generally place him in the upper-middle tier — C-SPAN's 2021 survey of historians ranked him 10th out of 44 presidents, though those rankings tend to lean liberal.

So: above-average by most academic measures, beloved by his base, sharply criticized by conservatives. Whether he was "good" depends on which policies and outcomes matter most to you.

Is there a specific aspect of his presidency you're curious about?
