“Disappointing” is the word First Lady Dr. Jill Biden used to describe how she feels about the way her husband, President Joe Biden, was treated by Democratic Party leaders during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Reflecting on the contentious election – which has led to Biden’s final year in office – Jill Biden said she wasn’t pleased with longtime allies, such as former speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is widely believed to have abandoned Biden’s campaign after his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.
“We were friends for 50 years,” Jill Biden told The Washington Post in what is likely her final interview before leaving the White House next week. “It was disappointing.”
Jill Biden has been one of his fiercest defenders (AP)
Pelosi and Biden rose to prominence within their party at similar times with Biden becoming a Delaware senator in 1973 and Pelosi becoming a California representative in 1987.
The pair’s relationship was put to the test last summer when Democrats were forced to go to bat for Biden after he lost public confidence in his ability to serve as the Democratic nominee, and president, due to his unimpressive debate performance.
Pelosi, famously, refused to say whether she thought Biden should remain at the top of the Democratic ticket during an interview with MSNBC in July.
“It’s up to the president to decide if he’s going to run,” Pelosi said simply.
Reports soon poured in that Pelosi was leading a private pressure campaign to get Biden to drop out so a younger Democrat with more potential of defeating Trump could replace him. Pelosi has publicly denied doing so.
Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Pelosi during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in May 2024 (Getty Images)
Regardless of her role in pressuring Biden to drop out, Pelosi’s obvious refusal to commit to Biden, her friend of several decades, struck a nerve with Jill Biden.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about relationships,” Jill Biden cryptically told The Post in her interview. “It’s been on my mind a lot lately”.
Mary Doody, the 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 push Biden out.
“It was awful. It was mean. It was disrespectful,” Doody said. “She talked a lot about that. I know I’m biased, but Joe Biden did not deserve that.”
As Jill Biden prepares to leave the White House behind, she also leaves a legacy of fierce loyalty to her family, friends and personal endeavors. She has stood firmly beside her husband through his accomplishments and gaffes. Despite taking on a public-facing role as First Lady, Jill Biden continued teaching at Northern Virginia Community College.
Memorably, Jill Biden attended nearly every day of her son, Hunter Biden’s, federal gun charges trial even when completing First Lady duties. She flew to France for one day to join Biden for a D-Day ceremony then flew back to Delaware the following day to support Hunter Biden.
It’s that same dedication to supporting her family that has made her Biden’s defender, even when he apparently refuses to hold a grudge.
