adminFirst lady Dr. Jill Biden on Wednesday urged Americans to “choose good over evil” by backing her spouse come November and defended her husband against concerns about his age.
The first lady also offered a preview of Biden’s upcoming campaign travel during an interview on ABC’s “The View,” attempting to tamp down concerns amid dismal polling numbers and low enthusiasm for her husband’s reelection campaign.
“We are going to meet people where they are. We’re going to go to college campuses, we’re going to go to just every state that we can get into — I’ve been traveling every single day, Joe has been traveling as much as possible, and we’re not going to take anything for granted,” she said.
“And those polls are going to turn, I’m confident of it, because as time goes on, as people start to focus a little bit more about what’s at stake and start to become educated on the issues and the differences between them — the two men — I believe that Americans are going to choose good over evil.”
The first lady has previously been willing to take on Trump, showing a willingness to take the gloves off and criticize the former president in a way that her husband and his campaign often don’t. Still, the stark characterization of the election as being between good and evil marked a ratcheting up of the first lady’s rhetoric toward Joe Biden’s opponent.
Jill Biden was an active surrogate on behalf of her husband in 2020 and campaigned for Democratic candidates down the ballot during the 2022 midterm elections. As she’s traveled the country to promote the administration’s initiatives, she’s appeared in a mix of red states and more moderate areas and is expected to take a similar approach in 2024. Biden campaign advisers believe the first lady’s appeal has far reach, particularly with women and grassroots supporters and in moderate parts of the country.
The first lady brushed off worries about her husband’s age during the interview with “The View,” saying he’s not that much older than his opponent.
“This election is not about age,” the first lady said. “I mean, Donald Trump’s going to be, what? 78? Joe’s 81. They’re basically the same age, right? But it’s about character. This election is about character, so you have two choices — you have my husband, Joe, who you all know, who has integrity, he’s strong, he’s steady, he’s a leader, he’s smart, he’s energetic — or you have chaos.”
She also previewed some of the president’s strategy leading to CNN’s debate on June 27, tamping down concerns that the debate could devolve into a shouting match between the two candidates.
“You know, they built that in, where they’re going to turn off those mics so that somebody can’t ramble or scream at somebody — not that my husband would be the one doing that — and so that’s already been negotiated,” she said. “I think the American people deserve a debate, because you need to see your choices. You need to see Trump and you need to see the president, and you need to see the differences, and my husband. You’re going to see how smart he is and the experience he has.”
And she blasted Trump, echoing host Joy Behar, as “someone who can’t put a sentence together,” adding, “I think you deserve — the American people deserve to see the two men who are running for this office, because your choice is going to be clear.”
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