Jill Biden’s Influence on Her Husband’s Political Career
Jill Biden’s Influence on Her Husband’s Political Career
Jill Biden, the current First Lady of the United States, has played a significant role in shaping her husband’s political aspirations.
Early Reservations
Initially, Jill Biden was hesitant about her husband’s potential presidential bid in 2004. According to her autobiography, she expressed her disapproval by writing “NO” on her stomach in large letters and walking around in a bikini.
Changed Opinion
However, her stance changed over time, and she now firmly supports her husband’s political ambitions. During his stumbling debate performance against Donald Trump in 2020, Jill Biden was reportedly against the idea of him dropping out of the race.
Strong Support
Jill Biden is known for her unwavering support for her husband. She has referred to him as the “only person for the job” and has been actively involved in his campaign efforts.
Closest Confidante
President Biden relies heavily on Jill Biden as his “gut check” and closest confidante. When facing difficult decisions, he often turns to her for advice and support.
Political Role
While Jill Biden is a powerful figure in her husband’s inner circle, she is not considered a “political decision maker.” She trusts Biden’s professional staff and respects his autonomy in political matters.
Balancing Act
Jill Biden has maintained a full-time job as a community college teacher while fulfilling her duties as First Lady. She is the first presidential spouse to hold a paid position outside the White House.
Media Presence
Unlike former First Lady Melania Trump, Jill Biden has been actively involved in her husband’s campaign. She has delivered speeches, attended rallies, and provided constant encouragement.
Decision-Making Process
Any decisions regarding President Biden’s political future will likely involve input from a mix of top advisers, including family members and senior staff. Jill Biden may provide support and advice, but it is unlikely that she will make unilateral decisions.
Marriage and Politics
Jill Biden has emphasized that politics is her husband’s domain. While she supports his career, she maintains a separate professional life of her own.
Jill Biden’s influence on her husband’s political career is evident in her unwavering support, close relationship, and involvement in his campaign efforts. However, she respects his autonomy in political decision-making and maintains her own distinct role within the Biden administration.
By Steve Holland and Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When a group of visiting political advisers tried to convince then-Senator Joe Biden to run for president in 2004, his wife Jill sat fuming by the pool at their home.
Finally, she took action. She drew the word “NO” in large ink letters on her stomach and “walked around the room in my bikini,” she wrote. He decided not to run around this time.
The anecdote, which Jill Biden recounts in her 2019 autobiography, “Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself,” makes clear that she hasn’t always been comfortable with the idea of her husband running for president.
But she later changed her mind and now, after his stumbling debate performance last week against Republican rival Donald Trump, the first lady is instead saying “No” to the idea of Biden dropping out of the race.
While some Democratic party members are calling on the 81-year-old Biden to acknowledge that he is too old for a second term, Jill Biden appears to be standing her ground.
“Joe is not only the right person for the job,” she told donors in East Hampton, New York, on Saturday. “He’s the only person for the job.”
“She has dug her heels in to support the president. She is the most ardent and fervent supporter, campaigner, surrogate, advocate and protector of anyone around him, and clearly has enormous influence,” said Anita McBride, who was chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush and co-author of “U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies.”
President Biden, married to Jill for 47 years, has leaned heavily on his 73-year-old wife as he battles doubts about his mental acuity and weathers the political storm over his performance in debates.
In “American Woman,” a book about first ladies in the modern era, author Katie Rogers wrote that when Biden faces a tough decision, he often turns to Jill as his “gut check” and closest confidante.
The first lady, who once physically blocked a protester from the Los Angeles stage where Biden was speaking in 2020, is not only standing by his side, she is also trying to drum up support for him among Democrats.
“Joe, you did a great job, you answered every question, you knew all the facts,” Jill told him at a post-debate viewing party in Atlanta, earning him some scorn on social media.
On Friday night, at a fundraiser in New York, she recounted a conversation she had with Biden after the debate.
“‘You know, Jill, I don’t know what happened. I wasn’t feeling great.’ And I said, ‘Look, Joe, we’re not going to let 90 minutes define your four years as president,’” she said.
Biden has always had a close circle of family members and senior advisers around her. The first lady is a powerful figure in the group but is not a “political decision maker” and trusts Biden’s professional staff, her former press secretary Michael LaRosa said.
Any decision on Biden’s future would likely involve advice from a mix of top advisers, LaRosa said. “I don’t think Jill is going to be comfortable making those kinds of decisions.”
Jill Biden, a community college teacher, is the first presidential spouse to hold down a full-time job while serving in the White House role, which entails an aggressive schedule of official and campaign events.
Trump’s wife Melania rarely campaigns for him.
“The president has a lot of political and policy advisers. That has never been her role,” Elizabeth Alexander, Jill Biden’s communications director, said of her boss.
“While a couple makes decisions together that affect their lives, they absolutely do, but as she’s said more times than I can count, politics is his domain. She supports his career and he supports hers,” she said.
Jill Biden regularly tells the public that it took her some time to decide to marry then-Senator Biden – after five proposals.
“I knew that whatever I chose, it would change my life forever,” Jill Biden said in East Hampton. “Of course, I would no longer be single. But I would become a mother overnight to two young boys, Beau and Hunter. And becoming the wife of a senator would mean a life in the spotlight.”
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Heather Timmons and Howard Goller)
