Jill Biden Attends Campaign Events in Texas and North Carolina
Plus, East Wing Magazine will talk first ladies and the media in virtual event Wednesday.
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden pledged her commitment to preserving democracy during campaign stops this week in Texas and North Carolina.
“I'm going to fight as hard as I can and not let anything like 2016 happen again,” Biden said to a group of about 22 people at a private gathering for the Biden Victory Fund in Houston Saturday evening.
The political finance dinner was hosted by Ellen Susman at her private residence. A group of 22, many who knew the Bidens, gathered around the dining table in a tiled hallway of the high-rise condominium in Houston’s River Oaks neighborhood.
U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee was also present, after greeting the first lady at the airport earlier that day.
Biden addressed the group for 11 minutes, beginning with how she and Susman came to know each other. Susman and Biden met on the campaign trail and began a long-distance friendship, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, Susman traveled to Washington, D.C. Susman helped Biden decorate the residences of the White House with art pieces, Biden said, before launching into her remarks about President Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign for re-election.
Biden addressed the question of why she was beginning her fundraising efforts in January, which she called “early.”
“I want you to remember how you felt in 2016, the morning after the election, when you all said to yourself, ‘Oh, my God, what just happened?’ Right. I'm taking you back. So, we cannot let that happen again. And that's why I'm asking you to, you know, think about if you're committed,” Biden said.
She referenced a recent dispute concerning a border bill that President Biden supports. Former President Donald Trump posted on social media earlier Saturday that he did not support the bill.
“You see what happened today with the border, and now Trump is trying to do everything he can to make Joe look bad, you know, even at the lives — sacrificing lives of so many people just for his own political gain,” Biden said. “I know it's early to start, but I want you to sort of think after you leave tonight that yes, I am committed to a democracy.”
She asked guests to think about their plans of support leading into the election and said that while it seemed like an “impossibility” that Biden wouldn’t be re-elected, they had to be prepared.
Biden said she welcomed the guests' support, whether they were Democrats or Republicans.
“I can't believe that mainstream Republicans really want what the MAGA extremists want, either. It's hard for me to believe that they, you know, they want to tear apart the fabric of our country,” she said.
North Carolina Campaign Stop
Prior to her stop in Houston, the first lady on Friday visited Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and also stopped at a fundraising event for the Biden Victory Fund at the home of Kristin and John Replogle in Raleigh, N.C.
Biden spoke in the kitchen in front of a crowd of about 90 people.
Biden shared the competitive nature of the Tar Heel State during election season, adding how President Joe Biden was one point away from winning the state in 2020.
“This year, our campaign is going to do everything we can to make up that one point and more,” Biden said as the crowd cheered.
She mentioned the actions taken under her husband’s leadership as president: passing ‘the boldest climate legislation in American history,” nominating Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, and progress to lower prescription drug prices and a cap on insulin.
Biden urged attendees to take into account the stakes of this election, saying how “democracy is on the line” and the impact in North Carolina.
After her speech of about 12 minutes, Biden left Raleigh and traveled to Columbia, South Carolina for a political event.
Jan. 31, 2024
East Wing Magazine Journalists Talk with FLARE About FLOTUS and the Media
America’s first ladies and their relationship with the media date back to Martha Washington. Even now, the challenges historic first ladies have faced with the press are similar to the challenges modern first ladies face today. As the position of the president’s spouse has evolved, so has the media. Join the First Ladies Association for Research and Education for a lively conversation with East Wing Magazine journalists Jennifer Taylor and Erin Donaghue about the challenges between first ladies and the media; about the changing landscape of the media and how presidential spouses have adapted; and about East Wing Magazine and its mission to flip traditional narratives told about first ladies and the greater East Wing.
The discussion, moderated by FLARE Vice President Diana Carlin, is FREE and scheduled for 5:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 31. Watch the discussion on Facebook or on YouTube.
Jennifer Taylor is the editor and founder of East Wing Magazine. She is a longtime journalist with expertise spanning news, politics, conservation, agriculture, wellness, education, college admissions, and business. Previously, her work has appeared in CBSNews.com, Earth Island Journal, Modern Farmer, Treatment Magazine, the Chicago Tribune and The Kansas City Star among others. Jennifer is drawn to stories about women who lead and have a positive impact on society.
Erin Donaghue is a freelance writer and the editor-at-large with East Wing Magazine. She was previously a reporter covering criminal and social justice for CBS News. Her work has appeared in CBSNews.com, the Washington Post, USA Today, Jezebel and Smithsonian Magazine, among others. Erin is interested in social movement's fighting inequality, women's history and the forces that bring people together.
Feb. 6, 2024
White House History Live Presents ‘Black Americans, Civil Rights, and the Roosevelts, 1932-1962’ - A Virtual Event
The White House Historical Association will present a conversation with William A. Harris, director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, about the site’s special exhibit, “Black Americans, Civil Rights, and the Roosevelts, 1932-1962.” Developed in collaboration with a distinguished committee of scholars, the exhibit centers the historical voices of many Black community leaders, wartime service members, and ordinary citizens who engaged the Roosevelt administration directly and who pushed for progress. Within this context, the exhibit examines the political evolution of both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt regarding racial justice.
The Association’s White House History Live is a monthly virtual program that delves into the stories that make up the history of the Executive Mansion. Watch this event from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. EST on the White House Historical Association’s Facebook page and its YouTube channel.
New Book Preview: The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady
Macmillan Publishers preview the new book The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady by Heath Hardage Lee. Pat Nixon has long been perceived as enigmatic. She was voted “Most Admired Woman in the World” in 1972 and made Gallup Poll’s top ten list of most admired women fourteen times. She survived the turmoil of the Watergate scandal with her popularity and dignity intact. And yet, the media often portrayed Mrs. Nixon as elusive and mysterious. The real Pat Nixon, however, bore little resemblance to the woman so often described in the press. Read more
Feb. 6 through April 21, 2024
Tudor Place Tells the Stories of Enslaved Individuals on A New Tour
Tudor Place Historic House & Garden presents Ancestral Spaces: People of African Descent at Tudor Place, a special installation and guided tour that explores the lives of individuals and families of African descent who lived and worked at Tudor Place.
From Feb. 6 through April 21, Tudor Place will be reimagined to show the historic house from the perspective of the enslaved and free individuals for whom it was both home and workplace. Using artifacts, maps, photographs and audio recordings, visitors will explore how these individuals found ways to practice resistance and activism while navigating the irreparable traumas that came from the institution of slavery. The tour will also offer insight into historic Georgetown, which was a diverse landscape that included enslaved and free people of African descent.
For this installation, staff collaborated with a group of descendants and stakeholders providing them with decision-making power over the interpretation. To augment historical narratives, staff made use of a variety of new sources, including the archaeological dig of an enslaved home space that occurred onsite in May 2022.
Tudor Place was owned by generations of the Peter family, descendants of Martha Washington, between 1805 and 1983. Read more
Feb. 9, 2024
Virtual Legacy Lecture: ‘Mrs. Lincoln in Love’ with Laura Keyes
The National First Ladies Library and Museum present an online lecture on Mary Todd Lincoln. The former first lady lived a life filled with triumphs and tragedies, but few people know her story. Now, librarian Laura Keyes dons Mrs. Lincoln’s dress and portrays Mary’s story in an entertaining and educational program entitled “Mrs. Lincoln in Love,” which is set on January 31st, 1862, when Mrs. Lincoln and her family are settled comfortably in the Executive Mansion. Read more
Feb. 16, 2024
WINE AND THE WHITE HOUSE: A History – Second Edition
The White House Historical Association on Feb. 16 will publish a second edition of WINE AND THE WHITE HOUSE: A History by Frederick, J. Ryan, Jr. In the book, the author traces the history and role of wine at the president’s table. This edition includes a new chapter on President Joe Biden’s use of wine in official entertaining, a newly designed cover, and a new spread on Château Margaux, which has had a long and unique association with America and its presidents.
WINE AND THE WHITE HOUSE takes readers on a journey through history to reveal just how influential wine has been to diplomatic relations and social entertaining at the White House, complete with illustrated menus, bills of sale, historic photographs, and new photography of the White House Collection of wine glasses, goblets, carafes, coolers, and decanters.
“Wine lovers know that much more goes into the experience of fine wine than simply the drink itself,” writes Ryan in the book’s introduction. “The glass, décor, food, ambiance, and company all contribute, especially in a setting as stunning and memorable as a formal White House dinner.”
A richly illustrated history of the glassware and service pieces used at the White House, photos from notable presidential toasts, and menu cards from historic White House gatherings create a sense of such an atmosphere. For readers interested in learning about the specific wines and vintages served at the White House since WWII, the final chapter contains a comprehensive list, the first of its kind.
Feb. 15, 2024
Third Thursdays Night Out with the First Ladies – In-Person, Private Curator-Led Tour
Get to know the REAL Jackie O with apps and drink during this private, exclusive talk about our exhibition Beyond Camelot: The Life and Legacy of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, given by the National First Ladies Library & Museum staff at the First Ladies National Historic Site. Read more
Feb. 26, 2024
Virtual First Ladies on the Page Book Discussion: The First Ladies
The First Ladies National Library and Museum presents an online staff-led discussion of this historical fiction book The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (published June 2023). Read more
March 8, 2024
Virtual Legacy Lecture: A Remarkable Life: Lucretia Rudolph Garfield
The National First Ladies Library and Museum presents a virtual program about Lucretia Rudolph Garfield, who lived a remarkable life that took her from humble beginnings in northeast Ohio all the way to the White House as First Lady of the United States. This presentation will examine Mrs. Garfield’s life for its many joys as well as its many tragedies. Read more
March 15 and 16, 2024
First Ladies Trilogy
Three back-to-back first ladies (1945-63) appear in a two-night series of live performances at the Winona Arts Center, 228 East 5th Street Winona, Minnesota. Bess Truman, Friday, and Mamie Eisenhower and Jackie Kennedy, Saturday. Read more
March 18, 2024
A Conversation with White House Social Secretaries
The George W. Bush Presidential Center will present a panel of former White House Social Secretaries who will share insights and behind-the-scenes stories about entertaining at the White House. From State Dinners to picnics on the South Lawn, the experts will discuss the importance of the White House as a stage for hospitality and diplomacy.
Anita McBride, former Assistant to President Bush and chief of staff to former First Lady Laura Bush, will moderate a conversation with Jeremy Bernard, former White House social secretary to President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama; Gahl Hodges Burt, former White House social secretary to President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan; and Amy Zantzinger, former White House social secretary to President Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush. Ticket information here
Submit calendar items, announcements and press releases to East Wing Magazine at jtaylor@eastwingmagazine.com.