Is he in?
First Lady Jill Biden announced on Friday that her husband, President Joe Biden, will run for re-election.
She said, “He says he’s not done. He’s not finished what he’s started. And that’s what’s important.”
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Biden said that there is “pretty much” nothing left to do but figure out the time and place for the announcement. Although Biden has long stated a desire to compete for re-election, he has yet to make an official announcement, and questions about his age have remained.
Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term. An announcement is likely to come in April, according to Biden aides.
“Of course he’ll listen to me, because we’re a married couple,” she said. But, she added later, “he makes up his own mind, believe me.”
Earlier in February a report came out that First Lady Jill Biden, with no political experience, is the one pulling the strings in Biden’s presidency. Despite her lack of political experience, she is known within the White House as Biden’s “closest confidante and guardian” and is likely to play a big role in major campaign decisions.
Michael LaRosa, former press secretary to the first lady said, “she is his gut check on everything.”
Although there is no polling data on the 71-year-old First Lady, she is an excellent professional educator who continues to teach English classes at Northern Virginia Community College twice a week. She advised the President on the appointment of Miguel Cardona as Education Secretary and Jen Psaki as the first White House press secretary. Jill Biden is the only presidential spouse who works outside of the White House, and her Secret Service detail disguises themselves as students for her lectures.
People familiar with the matter say that the first lady supports a potential re-election bid by Biden, who, at 80, is the oldest person to have ever held the presidency. Although she is not known for delving into policy details, she closely monitors her husband’s public image and the overarching themes of his speeches and events.
Additionally, in 2022, she confronted Biden’s top aides during a meeting, demanding an explanation for allowing the president to field questions at a January news conference for two hours, which she deemed too long.
“Where the Light Enters,” Jill Biden’s memoir she wrote in 2019, she said “I remember every slight committed against the people I love.”
Anthony Bernal, the first lady’s senior adviser, is a highly regarded and intimidating figure in the West Wing. His reputation stems from his capabilities, as well as his creative flair, but his blunt approach is also well-known.
If his degeneration accelerates, Dr. Jill will almost certainly take on a more prominent role in national affairs. Indeed, it appears that she is already doing so.
Assuming re-election, President Biden would begin his second term at the age of 82. Despite calls for him to undergo a cognitive assessment test and disclose the outcomes, he has thus far declined to do so.
