Jill Biden, the first lady who wants to make a mark soon
Joe Biden's wife moves away from her predecessor and redefines her role with a busy schedule focused on education, cancer research and military families
Aesthetically, Jill Biden's Valentine's decor was met without much enthusiasm. Compared to those ornate stagings of her predecessor Melania Trump, which brushed against the gloom in the memorable Christmas 2018 montage of the “bloody trees”, these heart-shaped posters nailed to the front lawn were less pretentious. of the White House. In pink, red and white, each heart had a pretty word printed on it, some as little related to Valentine's Day as "strength" or "unity." "Sending messages of healing, unity, hope and compassion, that's your Valentine's card to the country," they said in her office.
There was something endearing about that air like the work of the students of an elementary class, especially when the first lady is also a teacher. And any message of positivity issued since 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue sounds like a blessing after these past four years. But it is also true that it was not the most elegant composition. Perhaps it was not necessary to go into the garden to decorate the ditto of the White House on Valentine's Day. And, already put, it was a wasted opportunity to question whether the woman of the house has to be the one in charge of the decoration. Or is Doug Emhoff, Second Gentleman, also expected to decorate Vice President Kamala Harris's residence at the Naval Observatory?
The love message reveals, in any case, some clue to the new first lady, who exhibits the same haste as her husband to distance himself from her predecessors. Jill Biden, 69, wants to make a mark. And she wants to do it fast. She married at 26 to a senator who ran twice in the presidential primaries before winning them in 2020, and she was a second lady for eight years. So she has had time to reflect on what is expected of a president's wife. A role that constitutes a curious case in American culture: unpaid and lacking a clear description in the law, each first lady defines it a little in her own way.
Melania Trump spent the first three months as first lady residing in New York's Trump Tower, at a cost to the taxpayer of at least $ 125,000 a day in security. Even in Washington, she spent as much time as she could out of the spotlight. But Jill Biden is comfortable in the role. Her schedule is full and her team at the White House is well equipped to work on her own priorities. She has seven full-time officials serving her, more than any other first lady. She and her all she knew before, which has allowed her to start soon.
Just on her first full day as first lady, on January 21, Jill Biden met with the nominee by her husband for Minister of Education, Miguel Cardona; She then hosted the leaders of the two major teacher unions at the White House and then held an online conversation with 11,000 educators across the country.
On the second day she exhibited improvisation skills by introducing a change in her schedule. She had planned to go to a clinic for cancer patients, but the night before there was a stir with photos that showed members of the National Guard who protected the investiture of her husband sleeping in garages after they left the Capitol. Jill Biden asked the White House kitchens to make cookies with red, white and blue bows. And after visiting the clinic, she stopped to greet and present the sweets to a group of soldiers. "I just wanted to come today and thank you for protecting me and my family," she told them. "The Bidens are a National Guard family," she said, referring to Beau Biden, the president's late son, who served in the corps.
Education, cancer research, and military families. Each first lady usually chooses a topic on which she focuses, and Biden bets on these three. She too, in her second week, she held a round of virtual meetings with wives of state governors, and with a group of young Latino leaders.
A wide range of interests that the first lady will define, to the extent that her other occupation allows it: Biden has decided to continue with her teaching job. She teaches writing in English at a vocational training center in Virginia. The classes - virtual, due to the pandemic - began on January 11. Until now, no other first lady had held a paid job outside the White House during her husband's tenure.
Dropped by @TheSweetLobby earlier to pick up some Valentine’s treats for the weekend. Shhh – don’t tell Joe! 💕 pic.twitter.com/YXmtLciuws
— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) February 13, 2021
The main message, however, is that of normality, closeness and rupture with the immediate past. Again on the eve of Valentine's Day, the first lady tweeted a photo in which she is seen buying some typical holiday sweets. "Shhh ... don't tell Joe!" She wrote, ending the text with two hearts. She wore her hair in a casual scrunchie, which caused as much a sensation in social media as that $ 51,000 Dolce & Gabbana jacket worn by Melania Trump. A first lady who, four years ago, on Valentine's Day, was in New York, well away from her husband who, from the White House, tweeted about everything except love.
