First Lady Dr. Jill Biden used the word “disappointing” to describe how Democratic Party leaders treated her husband, President Joe Biden, during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Reflecting on the contentious election, which has led to Biden’s final year in office, Jill Biden expressed displeasure with longtime allies such as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is widely believed to have abandoned Biden’s campaign following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
“We were friends for 50 years,” Jill Biden told The Washington Post in what is likely to be her last interview before leaving the White House next week. “It was disappointing.”
Pelosi and Biden rose to prominence within their parties at the same time, with Biden becoming a Delaware senator in 1973 and Pelosi becoming a California representative in 1987.
The pair’s relationship was tested last summer when Democrats were forced to defend Biden after he lost public trust in his ability to serve as the Democratic nominee and president as a result of his lacklustre debate performance.
Pelosi famously refused to say whether she thought Biden should remain at the top of the Democratic ticket during a July interview with MSNBC.
“It is up to the president to decide if he will run,” Pelosi stated simply.
Reports quickly emerged that Pelosi was leading a private pressure campaign to get Biden to drop out so that a younger Democrat with a better chance of defeating Trump could take his place. Pelosi has publicly denied doing so.
Regardless of her role in pressuring Biden to drop out, Pelosi’s obvious refusal to commit to Biden, a friend of several decades, irritated Jill Biden.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about relationships,” Jill Biden cryptically told The Post in an interview. “It’s been on my mind a lot lately” .
Mary Doody, a former assistant dean at Delaware Technical Community College and friend of Jill Biden’s, told The Post that the First Lady was talking “a lot” about how “disrespectful” it was of Democrats to force Biden out.
“It was terrible. It was mean. “It was disrespectful,” Doody explained. “She spoke a lot about that. I understand I’m biassed, but Joe Biden did not deserve that.”
As Jill Biden prepares to leave the White House, she leaves a legacy of fierce dedication to her family, friends, and personal endeavours. She has stood firm besides her husband through his successes and failures.
Despite her public role as First Lady, Jill Biden continued to teach at Northern Virginia Community College.
Jill Biden attended nearly every day of her son Hunter Biden’s federal gun charges trial, despite her First Lady duties. She flew to France for one day to join Biden at a D-Day ceremony, then returned to Delaware the next day to support Hunter Biden.
That same dedication to supporting her family has made her Biden’s defender, even though he appears to hold no grudges.