What would nancy Reagan do?

I write this as a great admirer of First Lady Jill Biden. As the presidential election grows nearer, I cannot help but think that she must be more and more conflicted. The choice she faces – promoting her husband’s political ambitions or protecting his legacy – can no longer be avoided.

Having worked closely with Nancy Reagan during her husband’s first term, and seeing how she weighed choices like this one, I’ve found myself wondering if Mrs. Reagan were in Dr. Biden’s position, what advice would she have given to Ronald Reagan? Nancy was both a sounding board and guardian of her husband’s interests and those of the country. In the end, I believe Nancy Reagan would have counseled Ronald Reagan to protect his legacy of stabilizing the economy, confronting the Soviet Union and restoring American self-confidence over seeking a second term, especially if he had been at such risk of losing re-election.

Mr. Reagan and Mr. Biden’s legacies hung in the balance because of issues related to age. Of course, those issues and circumstances were different. Toward the end of Mr. Reagan’s presidency, age started to have an impact on his performance (he did not announce his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease until 1994, some six years later); Mrs. Reagan’s protective instincts kicked in, reducing his schedule and prioritizing his agenda. Earlier, Mr. Reagan had used his age against his presidential rival Walter Mondale to considerable political advantage. (“I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience,” he said.) Mr. Biden’s age has clearly become a burden for his re-election prospects. According to a recent ABC News/Ipsos poll, 73 percent of Democrats believe that Mr. Biden is too old to serve another term as president.

In each case, the presidents enjoyed a steadfast backing that went beyond the fierce loyalty for which most first ladies are known. Mrs. Reagan’s backing extended even to urging her husband to stand up to his powerful ideological advisers. I don’t know whether Dr. Biden does the same, but it is clear that she is highly capable and politically savvy, and that her husband depends on her.

I have always felt that the relationship between Ronald and Nancy Reagan, which I had the honor to observe at close quarters, created a whole that was much larger than the sum of its parts. Together, they were much better, more forceful and effective than their individual selves.

This is not surprising. As the 80-yearplus Harvard Study of Adult Development has demonstrated, we are far better off in reliable long-term partnerships than going it alone. The Reagans were married for 52 years. The Bidens have been married for 46 years. This kind of bond is irreplaceable. It gives each partner the unique legitimacy of being a trusted adviser, an honest broker and a truth teller.

I have often wondered, if Martin Ginsburg, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s husband of 56 years, had been alive in the last five years of her life, whether things might have worked out differently for her legacy and for the future of the Supreme Court. Now, after Justice Ginsburg’s storied and record-breaking career, there will always be an asterisk or a “but” next to her name.

When Mrs. Reagan identified a problem for her husband, she immediately stepped in. When she saw that he was being over-scheduled, she was the first to call his chief of staff, even though no one enjoyed those calls. When she saw her husband fumbling his words, she was always there to help with a word in his ear.

As Mr. Reagan came to the end of his presidency, she was focused like a laser beam on his legacy. Among his advisers, she was the strongest advocate for the breakthrough with the Soviet secretary general Mikhail Gorbachev, which eventually produced the downfall of the Soviet Union. Her role even included whispering in the foreign minister Andrei Gromyko’s ear! Certainly that development remains one of the central pillars of Mr. Reagan’s legacy.

Mr. Biden, who campaigned in 2020 on being a “transitional president,” has indeed accomplished much. He ended a forever war, although it was not a pretty ending. He has substantially lowered unemployment, staved off a recession, steered the country through two wars that have the possibility of becoming much broader conflicts and, like Mr. Reagan, succeeded in reaching across the aisle to achieve bipartisan legislation.

But, perhaps most importantly, he steadied the country after Jan. 6, 2021, and steadied our allies in the process. These are all accomplishments that will forever be to his credit. How tragic would it be if they were overshadowed by a loss to Donald Trump, who might then set about dismantling, in addition to the achievements of Mr. Biden’s first term, American democracy, the very thing Mr. Biden had devoted his presidency to protecting. For sure, it is hard when you feel you are accomplishing so much to be faced with these existential choices. But alas, age does not let any of us out of its clutches. When mortality finally caught up with Justice Ginsburg, she felt that she could influence the future by dictating a statement to her granddaughter about her wishes. We know how that worked out. I believe Nancy Pelosi took note of exactly that and drew the correct conclusion when she stepped down as House speaker in 2022.

What people of a certain age and set of accomplishments should reflect on is the mark that they have left, the people they have mentored and the stewardship they have provided to the next generation. As Ms. Pelosi showed, passing the baton to the next generation is vital work that also brings a sense of closure to one’s career and a sense of accomplishment and lasting satisfaction.

Of course, I do not know what conversations are going on in private at the White House between the first lady and the president. But I do believe that if Mrs. Reagan were in Dr. Biden’s shoes, she would be totally focused on securing the president’s legacy, which would certainly be destroyed should Donald Trump become president again. I hope Dr. Biden is having that conversation with Mr. Biden. I certainly know Nancy Reagan would be.

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The choice Jill Biden faces – promoting her husband’s ambition for a second term or protecting the legacy of his first term – can no longer be avoided.