First Lady Jill Biden on Monday reiterated President Biden’s position that the debate is over and that he will remain in the presidential race.
Biden stared down his own party in Washington and reiterated his commitment to the campaign during an appearance on his favorite TV show, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” but he made the same remarks during a one-day campaign tour of North Carolina, Florida and Georgia.
“There’s been a lot of talk about this race, but Joe has made it clear he’s going to fight with all his might,” Dr. Biden told a crowd gathered at a brewery in Wilmington, N.C. “That’s his decision, and just as he’s always supported me throughout my career, I’m going to fight with all my might. I know you all feel that way too, or you wouldn’t be here today. And Joe will keep fighting for you for another four years.”
Her visit was ostensibly to shore up support for her husband among military families and tie it to “Joining Forces,” an initiative Dr. Biden has championed since her days as second lady in the Obama administration. But the whirlwind trip was just as important to reassure her husband’s shaken supporters that the Bidens are still campaigning to win.
Madeline Schildwachter, a 38-year-old grant writer whose husband served four combat deployments in the Marines, left the event holding her hand over her heart and telling herself, “That felt good. We’re OK.”
Schildwachter, a Biden supporter but not a campaign volunteer, said she attended the first lady’s event simply to see for herself whether the Bidens were still campaigning.
“I think everyone needed a little motivation,” she said. “So much is filtered through the lens of the media, but when you see Jill’s energy in person, it feels different. You get what she was trying to say.”
In Tampa, Florida, her next stop, voters said they were encouraged to meet the first lady but wanted Biden to speak to them in person. Madison Janner, 20, of St. Petersburg, Florida, said after the debate she wasn’t sure whether she would vote for Biden.
“That’s part of why I came out here, to be honest with you,” she said. “I just feel like I need some reassurance right now. I’m a registered Democrat and I personally was going to vote for Biden, but at this point I’m not sure what to think.”
She added, “What makes me feel at ease is seeing the president perform, not seeing anyone come out for him.”
First ladies are typically expected to be the nation’s chief comforter in times of national tragedy or turmoil, but it’s rare for one to be asked to ease widespread fears and concerns within her own party about the president’s ability to lead the country.
Mr. Biden’s energetic campaign schedule contrasts with that of former first lady Melania Trump, who has not traveled to campaign events with her husband, former President Donald J. Trump. She did not attend the Biden-Trump debate in Atlanta but is scheduled to appear Monday at a Log Cabin Republicans fundraiser at his Trump Tower home in New York.
The Bidens still face an uphill battle convincing party insiders that Biden, 81, is fit for a second term. Several House Democrats have called for Biden to resign in recent days, and more are expected to make similar demands as lawmakers return to Washington from their summer break.
Columnists and pundits have called on Biden to back down, and there is a growing sentiment within the Biden White House and campaign that Biden should, as he said on “Morning Joe,” focus more on everyday voters rather than the “elites” who annoy him. Many aides within the White House, frustrated since Biden’s disastrous performance in the Atlanta debate, had mixed reactions to the president’s decision to phone into the show.
The first lady avoided a question from accompanying reporters about what she would say to Democrats who are calling for her husband to drop out of the race.
“Why are you yelling at me?” she asked reporters outside a Tampa coffee shop. “You guys know me. Don’t yell. Just let me talk.” She refused to answer the questions.
A person with direct knowledge of Biden’s thinking said Monday that the president remains firmly in the race and has no plans to withdraw without a long fight, but the person also said Biden has been warned by aides that this is still a critical juncture and that his ability to remain the Democratic nominee is far from certain.
Meanwhile, the first lady is the person closest to the president – not an adviser but his wife of 47 years – and will have a crucial say in any decision the president makes to continue or drop out of the campaign.
She has been a consistent supporter of remaining in the White House, as has Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, who has been privately advising his father in recent days.
