Internet skewers Jill Biden for saying Joe Biden is running for 2nd term as democracy is 'on the line'

WASHINGTON, DC: In a candid interview on Wednesday, January 10, first lady Jill Biden said that running for a second term was warranted for her husband, President Joe Biden, since freedom and democracy are "on the line." 

Speaking to MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski, the first lady insisted that enduring partisan attacks and difficulties of a presidential campaign were worth it for the future of the United States.

In a teaser clip ahead of the full interview release, Brzezinski asked Biden whether “yet another one give you any pause – thinking of the personal health and well-being for both of you, the division in this country, the cruelty of MAGA Republicans against your family?”

“Does any part of you once in a while think, ‘Oh, maybe we bow out?’” she asked.

“You know, that’s why I want to go through yet another campaign,” Biden responded, “because I think, as Joe says – democracy, our freedoms, are what’s on the line.”

“And so Americans have a choice. They can have strong, steady leadership, someone fighting for democracy, or they can choose chaos and division,” the first lady added.

Social media reactions

However, the first lady was mocked on social media for her comments.

"Nurse Jill needs to remember her place," said one.

"Let's hear it from Joe? Is Jill running or Joe?" one posted on X.

"The only one destroying democracy is her husband who’s targeting his political opponent and opening up the border," another wrote.

"Yeah because nothing says democracy like trying to kick Trump off ballots and throw him & his allies in jail for politicking," someone else offered.

"The biggest threat to Democracy is Joe Biden," another alleged.

Biden's limited press interaction

This comes as the Biden re-election campaign ramps up public efforts to make democracy and the risk posed by former President Trump as their primary focus. However, while the Biden campaign for 2024 has already kicked off, it's only the first lady who has granted interviews thus far in the new year.

According to DePauw University professor and media critic Jeffrey McCall, it's a "miscalculation" for the Biden camp if they have decided to make the first lady a campaign surrogate, especially since she has a stronger media presence than the candidate himself.

"Voters can surely infer she is only doing the interviews because the president can’t or won’t," McCall told Fox News.

According to the outlet, Biden has held fewer press conferences than any modern president. He has averaged just 11 per annum, which is about half of his predecessor's 22 average and Obama's 20, as recorded by the American Presidency Project.

Despite the concerns, the White House has strongly rejected the notion that Biden limits access to the media, insisting that he responds to shouted questions from reporters quite often. According to McCall, however, that will likely not sit well with potential voters and critics.

"It seems to me the press should start getting louder about lack of access to the president," McCall added. "For all the talk about threats to democracy, having a president who is inaccessible to the press and the citizenry is also rather undemocratic."