Jill Biden: ‘My Husband Knows How to Tell the Truth’
Jill Biden: ‘My Husband Knows How to Tell the Truth’
First lady addresses Joe Biden’s debate performance and Donald Trump’s lies on the campaign trail.
Weekly Wrap is a collection of headlines from the past week. Some publications have paywalls.
At a campaign fundraiser in New York’s Greenwich Village, First Lady Jill Biden spoke to about 60 people in attendance getting straight to the point: "So let's talk about last night 's debate, because I know it's on your minds," she said.
"As Joe said earlier today, he's not a young man. And you know, after last night's debate, he said, 'You know, Jill, I don't know what happened. I didn't feel that great.' And I said, 'Look, Joe, we are not going to let 90 minutes define the four years that you've been president.'"
The room erupted in applause.
Hosted by author Adriana Trigiani, the reception, "Words, Wisdom & Writers: A Reception with Jill Biden," took place in the living room that featured a fireplace mantle displaying the books of several authors in attendance—Barbara Kingsolver, David Baldacci, Alice Hoffman, Kristin Hannah, among others. Another displayed the books written by President Biden, "Promises to Keep" and "Promise Me, Dad," alongside the First Lady's illustrated children's books "Joey," "Don't Forget, God Bless Our Troops," and "Willow the White House Cat." Dr. Biden also authored a memoir, "Where The Light Enters."
"What my husband does know how to do is tell the truth," she continued, followed by more applause. "When Joe gets knocked down, Joe gets back up, and that's what we're doing today." She noted that the rally earlier that day in North Carolina was an "amazing event."
The first lady also referenced her husband's steady demeanor and strength of character.
"You've seen it these past few years through all we face, through the pandemic and assault on the Capitol, which, of course, you heard Trump say, never happened," she said.
In another reference to the debate, Dr. Biden told the story of being the daughter of a World War II veteran.
"It really gets my Philly up when Donald Trump insults our veterans and disparages those who died in war, calling them 'losers' and 'suckers,' which Donald Trump also, you know, disputed last night," she said. "Like, 'Oh, I never said that,' when his own Chief of Staff, a four-star general, was so discouraged and sickened by it. How dare he? You know, words matter."
In recent days, the first lady also stepped up her social media presence with a flurry of posts showing up on the @drbiden Instagram account beginning the morning of the Biden-Trump debate.
The account shows the first lady moments after the conclusion of the CNN-hosted Presidential Debate where Joe Biden underperformed prompting some members of the Democratic Party and The New York Times to suggest he step aside and not run for re-election.
“You heard Joe’s heart tonight on the debate stage,” the first lady said in the social media video. “He wakes up every morning thinking about how he can make the lives of Americans better.”
On Friday, Dr. Biden made a campaign stop in Raleigh, North Carolina, donning a navy blue silk crepe dress with crop sleeves imprinted with “VOTE” in white lettering from New York City-based designer Christian Siriano, according to Women’s Wear Daily. She defended her husband’s record in office describing how her husband has helped heal the country after a period of chaos from the last administration and saying, “We don’t choose our chapter in history, but we can choose who leads us through it.”
“What you saw last night on the debate stage was Joe Biden—a president with integrity and character who told the truth. And, Donald Trump told lie after lie after lie.”
- First Lady Dr. Jill Biden
She went on to tell the crowd, “What you saw last night on the debate stage was Joe Biden—a president with integrity and character who told the truth. And, Donald Trump told lie after lie after lie.”
Weekly Wrap
C-SPAN
President Biden and First Lady Jill at Post-Debate Waffle House Stop
June 27, 2024 — President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden made a stop at Waffle House for post-debate food for staff and press. He answered a few questions about his performance, saying, “it’s hard to debate a liar” and that he had “a sore throat.” View here
East Wing Magazine
Jill Biden: 'Joe Is Ready to Go'
June 27, 2024 — First Lady Dr. Jill Biden stopped by a Biden Victory Fund event in Atlanta where she said to the crowd of supporters her husband is ready for the debate.
“Joe’s ready to go. He’s prepared. He’s confident,” she said. “You know what a great debater he is.” Read more
13 News Now
First Lady Jill Biden in Virginia Beach for Campaign Stop Thursday
June 27, 2024 — First lady Dr. Jill Biden visited Virginia Beach for a campaign stop on Thursday, the same day her husband will face Republican Donald Trump in the 2024 election's first presidential debate. The first lady greeted Virginia volunteers and supporters and gave a brief stump speech. Read more
The White House
First Lady Jill Biden Hosts Pride Event at White House
June 27, 2024 — First Lady Jill Biden, joined by daughter Ashley, hosts a Pride Month celebration on the south lawn in front of the White House decked out in rainbow colors. View here
East Wing Magazine
Hillary Clinton’s ‘Fervent’ Warning Coming in New Book Weeks Before Election
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The Charlotte Observer
2024 Election Is About Character, Not Age, Jill Biden Says at Charlotte Campaign Event
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Slate
Jill Biden: What’s Happening With the First Lady After the Hunter Trial? It’s Strange.
June 25, 2024 — When Jill Biden and her staff were planning out her calendar for 2024, it’s easy to imagine them landing on this month as an ideal time for the first lady to promote her new children’s book, Willow the White House Cat, which tells the true-ish story of a gray tabby cat that went from a quiet life on a Pennsylvania farm to having the run of one of the most famous homes in the world. It would be an anodyne, voter-friendly addition to an election season that would surely be heating up by now.
Alas, June has turned out unlike how they’d expected, dominated instead by much bleaker circumstances, namely Hunter Biden’s federal trial and subsequent conviction. Some of that could not have been foreseen, but Willow—well, Willow would have been an odd bit of White House ephemera regardless of its publication date, and now is only more so. Read more
The Philadelphia Inquirer
First Lady Jill Biden to Philly Donors: 'Let's talk about age'
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Axios
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East Wing Magazine
Rosalynn Carter Memorabilia Up for Auction at Annual Carter Center Event
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
First Lady Jill Biden Speaks in Millvale on Reproductive Rights Ahead of 2nd Anniversary of Dobbs Decision
June 23, 2024 — Vice President Kamala Harris says “everything is at stake” with reproductive health rights in November's election as the Biden campaign steps up its focus on contrasting the positions taken by Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump on the issue before their debate this week.
Ms. Harris' comments come as the campaign announced it would hold more than 50 events in battleground states and beyond to mark Monday's second anniversary of the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned the federal legal right to an abortion. Read more
The Associated Press
Former First Lady Melania Trump Stays Out of the Public Eye as Donald Trump Runs For President
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The Seattle Times
Now an Abortion Rights Advocate, Woman Raped by Stepfather as a Child Will Campaign With First Lady
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