First Lady Jill Biden reacts as role in Joe Biden’s downfall questioned

Jill Biden has reacted to her husband Joe Biden’s announcement that he will not seek re-election amid criticism she didn’t have the US President’s best interests at heart.

First Lady Jill Biden has reacted to her husband Joe Biden’s decision to not run for re-election against Donald Trump in November with a simple heart emoji.

In a statement posted to X, Biden said it had been “the greatest honour of my life to serve as your president,” but that stepping down was in “the best interest of my party and the country”.

Dr Biden shared a heart emoji and reposted the US president’s message announcing that he was not seeking re-election.

Later Elizabeth Alexander, the first lady’s communications director, said on her behalf: “Down to the last hours of the decision only he could make, she was supportive of whatever road he chose. She’s his biggest believer, champion, and always on his side, in that trusted way only a spouse of almost 50 years can be.”

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have endorsed Kamala Harris. Picture: AFP

Members of Biden’s family rallied around their “Pop,” praising his decades of service after his stunning announcement that he has put an end to his re-election campaign.

The US President’s granddaughter Naomi Biden, the eldest daughter of Hunter Biden and Kathleen Buhle, described her grandfather as “the most effective president of our lifetime”.

“I’m nothing but proud today of my Pop, our President, Joe Biden, who has served our country with every bit of his soul and with unmatched distinction,” she wrote on X.

💕 https://t.co/VN2rZpyhVX

— Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) July 21, 2024

My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024

I’m nothing but proud today of my Pop, our President, Joe Biden, who has served our country with every bit of his soul and with unmatched distinction. Not only has he been—and will continue to be—the most effective president of our lifetime, but he has likely already cemented…

— Naomi Biden (@NaomiBiden) July 21, 2024

Dr Biden has been a constant source of support for her husband, especially following his disastrous debate performance against Trump last month, where he appeared frail and at times incoherent, leading to a deluge of calls for him step aside.

Indeed, amid the comeback tour that was supposed to save his presidency, Biden let slip the role his wife had played in his last desperate gasp to remain in the White House.

“I’m catching hell from my wife,” Biden said during the “big boy” press conference where he confused Trump for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Dr Biden had earlier scolded her husband after a disastrous debate performance focused the world’s attention on the octogenarian’s dramatic mental decline.

Footage of Dr Biden gingerly helping her husband down from the debate stage, followed by her bizarre praise that he “answered every question”, led to allegations of elder abuse.

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive for a post-debate rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. Picture: AFP

US President Joe Biden kisses First Lady Jill Biden as they watch the Independence Day fireworks display from the White House. Picture: AFP

But it was White House aides who were piling on too much to the schedule, she whispered to the president. It wasn’t his fault, it was his staff. He had to pace himself.

Viral memes painted the First Lady as the Grima Wormtongue to the 81-year-old president’s King Théoden, demanding to know why such troubles were being laid on an already troubled mind.

A day after the debate, a Vogue cover story showed Dr Biden in the president’s chaircombing through binders as if doing important work. With reports she had been sitting in cabinet meetings discussing policy, people started to ask: “What the hell was she doing there?”

(L-R) US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House in April. Picture: AFP

Critics said she was doing everything possible to prevent Harris from becoming the 47th President of the United States.

While Dr Biden was painted as a power-hungry climber who enjoyed the trappings of the First Lady too much to give it up, her iron grip on the East Wing has been traced back to a half-decade-old grudge.

Jill Biden “holds grudges” said a Democratic insider. Picture: AFP

“Go f**k yourself,” Dr Biden famously said of Harris when her husband was vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 2020 presidential election.

In a 2019 debate, Harris suggested Biden was a racist for opposing “bussing” used to desegregated schools.

Dr Biden’s “deep hatred” was “100 per cent” part of the First Lady’s resistance to handing the presidency over to Harris, according to insiders. The only thing worse than Biden stepping down was the fact Harris would replace him as the first female president in US history.

“Jill holds grudges,” a Democrat insider revealed to The Daily Mail. “She doesn’t let things go and she has never forgiven Kamala”.

Dr Biden never wanted Harris as vice president, but her husband left himself no choice after promising a black woman on his ticket.

She held her nose for the past five years, but “has hated [Harris] ever since the school bus thing.”

As Biden found out after the debate that ended his presidency, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.