(New York) After having had the chance to meet Joe and Jill Biden twice at the White House in recent weeks, Barbara Perry has no doubts about their attitude towards a new presidential campaign.
“Are they ready to go into battle again? If the campaign started tomorrow, I would say, “Yeah, absolutely.” They don’t look tired or worn out. And I have to say, Joe Biden looks 10 or 15 years younger up close than on stage. Touching people seems to energize her,” said the director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia, who attended a Nov. 9 dinner hosted by the first lady for members of the White House Historical Association. and at a Christmas reception on December 15.
But the 2024 presidential campaign does not start tomorrow. And Jill Biden will likely be the single most influential person in her husband’s decision to seek a second term in the White House in his ninth decade on Earth.
“He needs to know she’s ready to do it again,” said Barbara Perry, author of several books on presidents and first ladies.
I think she’s the only person who can see if he’s slowing down mentally or physically. And my impression of her is that she has a lot of common sense.
Barbara Perry, author
However, if Jill Biden has reservations about the advisability of a new presidential campaign, she will have to express them quickly. Because White House chief of staff Ron Klain recently indicated that Joe Biden would confirm his intention to run for president in 2024 after the holiday break.
English teacher
In the meantime, the Bidens celebrated Christmas at the White House with family members and spent the following week on St. Croix, an island that is actually US territory, near Puerto Rico, where the first lady was to engage in two of his favorite activities: the beach and reading. It was a rare moment of rest for her. At 71, this runner never stops. Two days a week, she commutes between the White House and Alexandria, in northern Virginia, where, since 2009, she has been teaching English classes at a community college, a task that requires her to devote evenings correct assignments or exams.
This is how Jill Biden became the first first-lady of the United States to pursue a professional career outside the White House.
Which does not mean that she neglects the traditional functions associated with her role, those of hostess of the White House, champion of various causes and political support.
“I think people were a little skeptical,” she told the magazine. Real Simple alluding to his decision to continue teaching. “Could I really do it, since I was the first to try it?” But I knew I wanted to teach. And so I said, “That’s what I want to do. We have to find a solution.” I knew I could do both. »
In her political support role, Jill Biden was particularly active during the campaign leading up to the midterm elections. While her husband had to limit his travels due to his unpopularity, the first lady was in high demand in all key states, from Arizona to New Hampshire, obviously passing through Pennsylvania, the state where this “Philly girl” , as her husband calls her, has grown up.
Itinerary to which must be added over the past two years trips abroad, including to Ukraine last May, and multiple trips related to the two other causes that are dear to him in addition to education: the fate of families military and the fight against cancer.
The fact of being the mother of a veteran of the war in Iraq who succumbed to brain cancer is no stranger to her involvement in these last two causes. Even though Beau Biden was from Joe Biden’s first marriage, she considered him her own son, like Hunter Biden (she and the president had a daughter together, Ashley).
Barbara Perry, who devoted her first book to Jacqueline Kennedy, does not hide her admiration for Jill Biden’s overall performance. “If I had to give her a grade, it would be an A. Because in my eyes she is the perfect example of a first lady. And I would add a plus because of the different role she plays professionally. »
As a professor, Jill Biden herself has a reputation for being strict when it comes to grading her students’ work. But she always reserved her best grades for her husband. “He understands the government better than anyone,” she recently replied to an NBC reporter who asked her why the 46e president was to remain in the White House after 2024. One thing is certain: Joe Biden can consider himself lucky to be able to count on the support and energy of such a dynamo.