Ever present at his side after his ill-fated debate with the US president – and standing behind him with all her might as he vowed to press on with his re-election campaign – First Lady Jill Biden has been fighting for her husband from the front lines.
“I think she is as influential as the pundits are claiming, and her opinion probably matters more to them than anybody else’s,” said Tammy Vigil, a communications professor at Boston University.
“Without their support, it would be impossible for him to stay in the race.”
The 73-year-old community college professor was in the spotlight on Monday when Vogue released the cover of its August issue — with the First Lady looking divine in a long white tuxedo gown designed by Ralph Lauren.
The image and article are from April, when President Joe Biden struggled to make himself understood during a stilted, disorganized performance at the CNN debate against Republican rival Donald Trump.
But in a note introducing the article, the magazine’s editors said he had a telephone conversation with the First Lady immediately after the debate as calls were growing for her 81-year-old husband to withdraw his candidacy.
‘Reasonable person’
She told Vogue that the Biden family “will not let those 90 minutes define his four years as president.”
“Joe is not only the right person for the job, he’s the only person for the job,” the woman who has spent the past 47 years with the Democratic leader said at a meeting of donors over the weekend.
After the debate on Thursday, Jill Biden was shown holding her husband’s hand and helping him down some steps at the CNN studio.
The next day, she was back, wearing a dress that read “VOTE” while a very energetic Joe Biden was the keynote speaker at a rally in North Carolina.
Having married in 1977, Joe Biden had been a widower five years earlier in a horrific car accident that killed his first wife and their infant daughter. His two sons, Beau and Hunter, survived.
Tragedy struck the family again several years later when Beau, a beloved son whose political career seemed promising, died of cancer.
In addition to the family difficulties, Hunter also struggled with a crack addiction for several years.
The First Lady has now become the center of attention of this troubled but growing family, which has been strengthened by the birth of Jill and Joe’s daughter, Ashley, a few years into their marriage — and eventually the arrival of their grandchildren.
Without their support, Democrats would not have been able to launch a bid for a second term.
When she arrived at the White House she continued to teach English at a college near Washington, which was unexpected for a president’s wife.
decoration and promotion
Meanwhile, she performed the traditional roles of a first lady – taking charge of Christmas decorations and the menu for lavish dinners, as well as promoting pet causes – in her case, promoting literacy.
In the midst of a volatile re-election campaign, Jill Biden could encourage a flood of sympathy with her passionate advocacy for the president since his fraught confrontation with Trump — but doing so also risks alienating a segment of public opinion.
“A contemporary American first lady is considered a ‘best secret weapon,’ assisting her husband by attesting to his character and helping to raise funds. For that reason, Jill Biden is expected to participate in the campaign,” Vigil said.
“However, there are unspoken limits to that activity, which are hard to discern until a certain line is crossed. If she comes out too forcefully in support and defense of her husband, people will complain.”
Since the debate, the First Lady has become a major target on social media, with Trump supporters portraying her as a dishonest manipulator.
After the debate, Wyoming Republican Harriet Hageman wrote on X, “What Jill Biden and the Biden campaign did to Joe Biden tonight — forcing him, unarmed, to engage in a battle of wits on stage — is blatant elder abuse.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
