Through a senate career, a shift to vice president, and now through his first term as president, First Lady Jill Biden has been her husband’s rock.
She’s a big element behind Joe Biden‘s continued success as a politician, and her poise, intelligence, and clear capability have seen the president through a million ups and downs. Those downs now include the first 2024 presidential debate, which is looked on very differently depending on who you talk to. Regardless of which political party you align with, however, one opinion crosses party lines: Joe Biden looked old — very old — on that debate stage.
He was still more coherent than Donald Trump, and his grasp of the demands of the presidency and the needs of our nation carried through the lackluster debate performance, but it wasn’t enough to stop a bulk of Americans from balking at our only two options for president. Biden may not be a vicious, selfish, egotistical wannabe tyrant, but he increasingly appears to be far too senior to tackle his duties properly.
At least, that’s what many Americans think. It’s not, however, what Jill Biden thinks, and she was clear in a recent interview with Vogue that — love him or hate him — Joe Biden always puts the needs of his nation first.
What did Jill Biden think of Joe Biden’s debate performance?
Almost no one in the nation thought Joe Biden performed well at the first debate. We didn’t think Trump did either, of course, but no one really expected coherent thought to exit the mouth of a man who can barely string sentences together. We did expect better out of Joe, and we simply didn’t get it.
To be fair, the man is 81 years old, so it’s no wonder he struggles to look anything but utterly ancient on the debate stage. Its a great argument for age limits on our most important offices, but for now, we’re stuck with the fight between old and older for our next Commander-in-Chief.
While First Lady Jill Biden certainly wasn’t as scathing — or hilarious — as the rest of us in her response to her husband’s performance, she did acknowledge the disappointing showing in her own classy way. Speaking to Vogue following the late June stand-off, Biden defended her husband’s track record and emphasized that “will not let those 90 minutes define the four years he’s been president,” before adding that Biden’s team “will continue to fight.”
Recalling the impressive political tenure under Biden’s belt, both as president and as VP, and as a senator, the First Lady added that her husband “will always do what’s best for the country.” When faced with the truly terrifying alternative, this declaration is more vital than ever. Biden may be old, he may be outdated, and he may not be the speaker we’d love for him to be, but he isn’t an outright threat.
Trump is, and that’s really all we need to know to make an informed decision in November. Sure, we’d all prefer a different, more youthful, option, but when the choice is between a somewhat doddering but perpetually well-meaning old man and a felonious megalomaniac, the decision is clear.