There's been much speculation and even more joking about how President Joe Biden seemingly relies on handlers to get him through the rigors of carrying the "leader of the free world" mantle, but new reporting on Monday makes it clear that First Lady Jill Biden is one of the main players when it comes to managing and guiding major strategic decisions that, in the end, are attributed to the president.
Specifically, Politico's latest dispatch on First Family intrigue deals with Biden's prerecorded video announcement last week that the commander in chief would run for re-election in 2024, a decision that came after more than a little speculation that he wasn't up to the schedule of a non-COVID campaign or able to slog through another four-year term as an octogenarian should he win re-election. The piece broaches the subject with kid gloves, headlined "How Jill Biden helped Joe get to yes on running for reelection at 80," and paints Jill Biden's prominent role in decisions made by the president in a positive, even sweet, light.
"Privately, the first lady encouraged her husband to run again while giving him the space he needed to process the decision in the way he traditionally does: with extensive deliberations, consideration of the burden it would place on his family, and a bit of classic Biden hemming and hawing," Politico's report explained. "She was involved in all the high-level discussions around the decision, giving counsel when she felt it was necessary."
Remember how the mainstream media characterized our 40th President Ronald Reagan, who was just 69 years old when he took office, and speculation about First Lady Nancy Reagan really running the show? Now, apparently, it's endearing and sweet when a First Lady has a voice and a presence in high-level decisions. That role, per Politico's sources, is extensive.
According to a former Biden adviser who spoke to Politico, Jill Biden "is usually in the room when senior campaign staff are presenting strategy to her husband" where [s]he will ask questions." Clearly aware of the optics, the former adviser claimed that "she never weighs in on the decision," but clearly she had a key role in President Biden's 2024 decision. Another adviser admitted as much when they told Politico the first lady "is always his final gut check.” Other aides recalled how, in meetings attended by both Bidens, "the president will frequently look over to his wife, who is often wearing her glasses and taking notes, and ask, 'Hey Jill, what do you think?'" Others told Politico that Jill Biden is "the closer" for Biden, "the confidant the president trusts to give him unfiltered advice before he reaches a decision."
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"Her gentle encouragement of her husband’s reelection run comes as she’s relishing her role, hanging out at the Super Bowl and the women’s Final Four, and actively posting on social media," Politico's report added of Jill Biden's enjoyment of the perks of her position. "Unlike the cliche applied to wives of major political figures — that they’re the 'secret weapon' behind their husband’s success — there’s nothing that secret about the role she is playing," Politico added.
That role means also mean you're more likely to see the first lady on the campaign trail in 2024 than you will the president or vice president. "Aides expect the first lady to keep up an intense travel schedule," Politico noted, adding "she already boasts the most travel among the four White House principals." She'll also, apparently, "serve as a confidant for her husband as he tries to defy naysayers who fear he is too old and too much of a political relic." How heroic.
What's clear between the properly dressed lines of Politico's report is that the president did more than consult his wife to make sure she was comfortable with a reelection campaign and potentially four more years as first lady. It shows how Jill Biden transformed from an educator to a senator's wife, to second lady, to first lady — and got comfortable and used to the benefits that come along with each additional step up the ladder of political power. Now, she's the one who issues the final "gut check" on Biden's decisions, participates in top-level meetings, and wields what sounds like significant power in the president's decision-making process without trying to mask it. Sounds like the first lady is enjoying herself — minus the hiccups over calling Latinos "breakfast tacos" — and doesn't want her husband to retire just yet.
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