First lady Jill Biden will have a “role” on the first day of the Democratic National Convention to honor and preserve the legacy of her husband, President Joe Biden despite having voiced her disappointment with those who encouraged the president to exit the 2024 race, according to a report.
The DNC will be held on August 19 to 22 in Chicago — and will likely look drastically different from the original plan, drafted when the president was still running for re-election.
The White House confirmed that the president and first lady will travel to Chicago, Illinois, on Monday with Biden set to give the keynote address on the opening night. Jill will also speak on Monday night.
According to NBC News, the first lady will give a tribute to her husband in her speech, touting her husband’s 50-year legacy of public service.
Her public appearance at the event celebrating the fresh Democratic party picks — vice president Kamala Harris and Minnesota governor Tim Walz — is notable given the allegations that the first lady has “privately expressed dismay at some Democrats” who did not publicly support President Biden’s re-election bid, the outlet reported.
“She’s tough and of course defends her family when she needs to,” Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director, told NBC News. “Always has, always will.”
Pressure for Biden to drop out of the race — from donors, voters, and prominent Democrats alike — mounted after the president’s fumbling debate performance on June 27. Three days after the debate, Politico reported that Jill and Hunter Biden, the president’s son, were among the “loudest” advocates for the 81-year-old to stay in the race behind closed doors.
Publicly, the first lady also stuck by her husband’s side, announcing that she was “all in” for his re-election campaign in a July 8 speech.
“For all the talk out there about this race, Joe has made it clear that he’s all in,” she told the North Carolina crowd. “That’s the decision that he’s made, and just as he has always supported my career, I am all in too.”
After Biden stepped aside and endorsed Harris for president, the first lady posted a handwritten note on X, providing some insight into her thoughts on those that pressured Biden to leave the race: “To those who never wavered, to those who refused to doubt, to those who always believed, my heart is full of gratitude. Thank you for the trust you put in Joe — now it’s time to put that trust in Kamala. Love, Jill.”
The first couple will only be in Chicago for Monday, so as not to distract from the new Democratic ticket, the outlet reported.
This reasoning for the Bidens’ early departure differs from Politico’s report earlier this week that claimed that President Biden would not be staying for Barack Obama’s speech on Tuesday because he harbors “resentment” toward the former president. While Obama publicly did not support calls for his former vice president to leave, Obama allegedly privately raised concerns that he could not defeat Donald Trump in November.
