The Democratic National Convention this week featured all the usual suspects on the left-wing party’s stage—including first lady Jill Biden, who addressed her husband’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Prior to President Joe Biden’s speech (the keynote address at the event), his wife took the stage in Chicago to share her support of both the president and the new nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. Jill expressed how her husband reached deep into his very soul when making the decision to cease his re-election campaign, contradicting rumors that he was basically thrust off the ticket by Democratic leaders.
She also emphasized that she is sure Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Waltz of Minnesota, will successfully win the White House for the party. Jill expressed the “faith” they have in one another as well as “hope” for the future and “love” of the United States as virtues which will enable the party to “fight” and “win together.”
The speech drew a more somber tone when the first lady brought up Beau, the son who died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46. He worked with Harris as he served the state of Delaware as its attorney general. Jill recalled how Beau once told her that Harris is a “special someone” who people should “keep [their] eye[s] on.” At the DNC, Jill said that Beau “was right.”
She added that she and “Joe…know Kamala” and have “seen” her “leadership,” “courage,” and “determination” from a front row seat. Jill went on to praise her husband in their 50 years of marriage, expressing love for him after all that time.
Before Biden decided to (or was pressured to) drop out of his re-election campaign, Jill adamantly defended his efforts to win a second election, citing that he supported her as she sought a career in education, and she was determined to return the favor.
However, Jill and other members of the family expressed support for Biden’s move away from the political scene as well. In a statement released after the announcement in late July, the first lady said she is “full of gratitude” for the “trust” given to her husband and called for it to now be put “in Kamala.”
Biden’s granddaughter, Naomi, also expressed pride for the president after his decision, as did his son Hunter, who described his father as a “unique” servant of the country and noted how he is “in awe” of his father’s work.