Jill Biden’s aides warned against discussing her busy schedule as that would make Joe ‘look bad’
WASHINGTON, DC: First Lady Jill Biden's team was reportedly asked not to discuss her busy campaign schedule to avoid upstaging her husband, outgoing President Joe Biden, OK! Magazine reported on Friday, December 20.
At the age of 82, Joe Biden is the oldest sitting president in the history of the United States, and has long faced criticism over his declining health. While his inner circle continues to be "fiercely loyal" to him, many members of his party have voiced their concerns.
On the other hand, Jill Biden, at 73, played a proactive role during her husband's tenure in the White House, as well as in the campaign to get him elected in 2020.
Warning to Jill Biden's aides
The communications staff of First Lady Jill Biden had been warned against unintentionally making the president look bad, the outlet reported.
Back in 2020, their superiors reportedly scolded them for telling journalists in Iowa that Jill held more events in the state than Joe Biden.
Michael LaRosa, the former Press Secretary of Jill Biden, told a local reporter that Jill campaigned in more counties than Joe during the 2020 Iowa caucuses. Anthony Bernal, the chief of staff and deputy campaign manager of the first lady told LaRosa to call back the reporter and downplay the comparison between the husband and wife's campaign appearances.
According to LaRosa, the official line from the campaign was, "The more you talk her up, the more you make him look bad." The president himself was displeased at one point over being upstaged by his wife during his 2020 campaign, as well as by his then running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
In her book 'American Woman', New York Times correspondent Katie Rogers stated, "Jill was hitting the campaign trail and traveling so much in the weeks before the election that her team was using two private jets. Her schedule far outpaced that of her husband, who was widely criticized by the president (Donald Trump) and others for not holding enough in-person campaign appearances."
Joe Biden's health on the decline
President Biden had worked around his declining health since assuming office in 2021. Insiders have claimed that his schedule was altered to his needs, and that his meetings were kept short and in the afternoon as that was when he was "at his best".
An aide recalled being informed by a national security official that a meeting had to be rescheduled because the POTUS was having a "bad day".
"(Biden) has good days and bad days, and today was a bad day, so we’re going to address this tomorrow," the aide was reportedly told.
Others have alleged that the POTUS has not always been present for his duties. Rep Jim Himes, the Democratic lead on the House Intelligence Committee, claimed to have "no personal contact" with Biden despite working with him to reauthorize national security surveillance powers.
Those who work regularly with Biden have maintained that he is no longer the man he used to be over his long tenure of public service.
Following growing concerns over his mental acuity, Biden had dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Kamala Harris in his stead.
