Over the weekend, CBS Sunday Morning aired a special with first lady Jill Biden where host Rita Braver asked her about the president’s tanking poll numbers and mental fitness. In the interview, Jill Biden said the president rescued America during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic and brushed off Americans’ concerns over the president’s mental fitness, as I covered.
The interview started out highlighting Jill Biden’s efforts as first lady to get Americans vaccinated and her job as a professor at Northern Virginia Community College. Then, Braver joined Jill Biden at Camp David where they conducted a one-on-one interview.
To start off, Jill Biden noted that the lifestyle of being first lady is more difficult than she expected and said that she understands why free community college – something she is an advocate for – was scrapped from the president’s Build Back Better plan.
“I understand compromise and I knew that this was not the right moment for it,” Jill Biden said. She then responded to claims that she is one of the president’s “most important advisers.”
“I listen to him. He listens to me. It’s a marriage. And, you know, we talk about what’s going on every day, what’s going on with our lives. But I’m not his adviser. I’m his spouse. I’m his wife,” Jill Biden said.
“You’ve seen the president’s poll numbers drop. Does that bother you?” Braver asked.
“I look at it a little differently, Rita. During the campaign, Joe made certain promises. Things that he would do. And we were going through a pandemic, which no one could have anticipated. So he did come in and rescue America with the American Rescue Plan. And millions of families got money because they were desperate. We have vaccines for kids ages 5 and up. And now, with the infrastructure plan, we’re going to have better roads and better buildings that don’t have asbestos. Better drinking water,” Jill Biden answered.
“So, do you figure once the public kind of comprehends this, things will turn around?” Braver pressed.
“I do, I do,” Jill Biden said.
“And one more question on that, on the polls. Because, there’ve been some recent polls that show that quite a few Americans have some questions about the president’s current mental fitness. As somebody who spends – I can see you shaking your head – so what’s your response to that?” Braver asked. Jill Biden rolled her eyes and shook her head during the question.
“I think that’s ridiculous,” Jill Biden stated.
Next in the interview, Braver and Jill Biden joined Joe Biden to take a look at the Christmas decorations in the White House.
“This has been a hard year,” Braver said to the president. “You know that various things that you’ve done have gotten a lot of criticism. You’ve had a hard time getting the other side to work with you. Don’t you ever feel discouraged about this? And doesn’t the criticism get to you? And how does Dr. B [Jill Biden] help you through that?”
“I guess it should get to me more,” President Biden said. “I know what I’m willing to lose over. If we walk away from the middle class. If we walk away from trying to unify people. If we start to engage in the same kind of politics that the last four years has done. I’m willing to lose over that.”
“You mean you’re willing to lose your presidency?” Braver clarified.
“My presidency, that’s right. Because I’m going to stick with it. There are certain things that are just, like, for example – Afghanistan,” President Biden answered. “Everybody says ‘you could have gotten out without anybody being hurt.’ No one’s come up with a way to ever indicate to me how that happens. And, so, there are certain things that are just so important.”
Jill Biden wrapped things up by telling Braver that Americans tell her they can “breathe again” now that President Trump is no longer in office.
“No matter where I travel across this country, a lot of people say to me ‘Jill, I feel like I can breathe again. Thank you. Please tell the president thank you for what he’s doing.’”
Watch the interview below.