In a rather strange scene, First Lady Jill Biden made a rare appearance at one of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet meetings on Friday, focusing on the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. The gathering, the first since October 2023, marked a significant moment with the First Lady seated prominently at the head of the table to address maternal health initiatives.
President Biden acknowledged Jill Biden’s presence, explaining her involvement by saying, “Here and across previous administrations, first ladies have attended these meetings for specific reasons. This is the first time Jill has joined us, and it goes to show how important the issue is.” He handed the floor to her with, “It’s all yours, kid.”
Jill Biden is kicking off the first cabinet meeting the White House has had in almost a year and we’re expected to act like this is normal. pic.twitter.com/cocPx6xMb8
— Kate Hyde (@KateHydeNY) September 20, 2024
According to reports by The New York Post, Jill Biden spoke for about four-and-a-half minutes, reading from a binder, while the president had only spoken for two minutes. This marked the first time since Hillary Clinton that a first lady attended her husband’s Cabinet meeting. While Jill Biden’s participation was intended to spotlight an important cause, it quickly became the subject of online debate, with critics questioning the extent of her influence on the administration.
Several conservative commentators took to social media to express concerns about Jill Biden’s role, noted Fox News. Greg Price compared her to Edith Wilson, the wife of President Woodrow Wilson, who took control after her husband’s debilitating stroke. “She’s literally Edith Wilson except right out in the open in a 24/7 news cycle and nobody in the media cares,” Price tweeted.
Others, such as former Trump adviser Steve Cortes, questioned the president’s leadership. “A visibly exhausted Joe Biden just held a full Cabinet meeting for the first time in 11 months and immediately turned the mic over to his wife,” he said.
In another strange a congressional member revealed that the folder given to members of Congress who have their bill signed into law also, oddly, has the signature of Jill Biden emblazoned on it.
A senior Hill aide tells me that when lawmakers are given a signed copy of their bill, the folder containing has both President Biden and First Lady Biden’s signatures emblazoned on the cover. https://t.co/NfUjUUAC00
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) September 20, 2024
Red State asked a fair question: “So, what the heck is going on here? Why would her name be on legislation folders? He signs off on legislation, she does not; she doesn’t have any role at all in that process. That’s the Presidential Seal. Why would her name be under it? What is the answer to this? Is this more about her desire for power? Nobody elected her to anything. How long has this been going on, and what else has she been inserting herself into?”
In response, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates defended the First Lady’s appearance, emphasizing the administration’s focus on advancing women’s health research. He dismissed the criticism as conspiracy theories that distract from the administration’s achievements.
