EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Jill Biden stood next to her husband on Saturday as they left Air Force One to head to a pair of campaign stops at luxury vacation homes on Long Island. And she got straight to the point when it was her turn to introduce the president at a fancy fundraiser.
“Joe is not only the right person for the job. He is the only person for the job,” she said.
The first lady also told donors, “Anyone can tell you what they want to do, but Joe Biden can tell you what he has done with his judgment, his experience and his relationships with leaders around the world.
The first lady is trying to rally support for her husband after a terrible performance during Thursday’s presidential debate raised new concerns about President Joe Biden’s age and his ability to compete in the November election and serve another four years.
The community college professor has been by her husband’s side since he left the debate stage as he faces what could be a defining challenge of his presidency: The president says democracy itself is at stake in his race against the former president. President Donald Trump.
It’s a reflection of the first lady’s influence, her love for her husband and the pressures facing an 81-year-old candidate who many voters fear is too old to serve another term. While Trump’s wife has been noticeably absent from the campaign trail, Jill Biden has taken a leading role, wearing a dress emblazoned with the word “Vote” on Friday.
Less than 24 hours after her husband’s disastrous debate, she stood before a crowd in Greenwich Village and praised her husband, without any nod to the swirling controversy over whether he should seek another term.
“Joe will never stop fighting for this country and for communities like this,” she said at an event at Stonewall National Monument, a symbol of LGBTQ+ pride. “That’s who Joe is. He wakes up every morning thinking about how he can make Americans’ lives better.”
Later in the day, however, she was more candid at an LGBTQ fundraiser in the city, saying of her husband’s debate performance, “I know it’s on your mind.”
“Like Joe said earlier today, he’s not a young man,” she admitted. “And you know, after last night’s debate he said, ‘You know, Jill, I don’t know what happened. I didn’t feel great.’ And I said, ‘Look, Joe, we’re not going to let 90 minutes define the four years you’ve been president.’”
The first lady then went on to deliver a spirited defense of the president’s capabilities, indicating that she could not discount his intentions — their intentions, really — to continue his campaign.
“What my husband does know is to tell the truth,” she said. “If Joe gets knocked down, Joe gets up again, and that’s what we’re doing today.”
Jill Biden, 73, has long been her husband’s top confidant and public defender, but her role has expanded this year and is drawing increasing attention from Trump supporters. Some of them wonder if she’s the one calling the shots these days.
As the first lady grabbed the president’s hand Thursday evening as he left the debate stage after his faltering performance, Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas reposted the video to X asking, “Who is the commander in chief?”
Jill Biden, initially reluctant to take on the role of political spouse, is going all out.
Earlier this year, when voters were still denying that Biden was actually seeking another term, it was Jill Biden who squashed the idea that he might not.
“How many times does he have to say it before you believe it?” the first lady told The Associated Press in a February interview during a trip to Africa. She added: “He says he’s not done. He hasn’t finished what he started. And that’s what’s important.”
As a native of Philadelphia, her tone has become increasingly fierce as she has told her supporters that Trump “got my Philly up.” But the race with the former Republican is tight and she told the fundraising gathering on Friday that “we have to work harder than ever before.”
Not only does she talk about her husband’s best qualities, she regularly tells stories about their courtship and life together for supporters. At Friday’s events, she told the LGBTQ+ gatherings that Trump is a “threat” to their rights and “we can’t let him win,” a sign that she won’t shy away from the tough business of politics.
Last month, the first lady gave a speech to students at community colleges in Arizona. In it, she talked about ignoring doubters and pushing through with their goals.
“The next time someone tells you ‘you can’t,’ you’ll say, ‘Oh yeah? Pay attention to me,” she said.
It was an echo of the words her husband had used on several occasions when asked if he could keep the job for another four years: “Look at me.”
