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Juggling work and the White House, Dr Jill Biden may prove the most relatable First Lady yet – but the new FLOTUS is already making history...
IN A HEAVILY locked-down inauguration ceremony in Washington DC, amid threats by far right extremists and the coronavirus pandemic, Jill Biden became America’s new First Lady. Two weeks after a deadly siege of the US Capitol building by Donald Trump supporters, the world watched as she held the family bible for her husband Joe Biden as he took the oath of office as the 46th President.
The new administration brought several firsts. Kamala Harris became the first female, first Black and first South Asian American Vice President, her husband Doug Emhoff the first ‘Second Gentleman’ and Biden, at 78, the oldest ever US President. And, as First Lady – a position that, although unofficial, wields considerable influence – Jill, a working teacher, will be the first in the role to continue her professional career.
Known as ‘Dr B’ to her students, the former Second Lady has been teaching for 36 years. Jill, 69, has four degrees, including a doctorate in education, and teaches English composition at a community college.
The grandmother-of-six is an avid runner, barre and Soulcycle fan – even waking her granddaughters for a 5am spinning session on Christmas Eve – and has a reputation for going to great lengths for practical jokes. (She once hid in the overhead locker of Air Force Two.)
As Second Lady, when Joe was Vice President to Barack Obama, Jill thrived on juggling the demands of politics and teaching. In her memoir, Where The Light Enters, she describes marking student papers on Air Force Two and ‘scrambling into a cocktail dress and heels in the ladies’ room’ at Northern Virginia Community College, where she still works, to attend a White House reception. To avoid attracting unwanted attention, she asked her secret
service agents to dress as students.
Her students say she is a ‘tough grader’. ‘She’s incredibly engaging and challenging and kind,’ one told The Washington Post. Former First Lady Michelle Obama has described her as ‘one of the most grounded people you’ll ever meet’ and a ‘breath of fresh air without an ounce of pretence’.
Jill, who grew up in Philadelphia, went on her first date with the President in 1975 after being set up by his brother, Frank. She was divorced, after getting married at 18, and he was a senator and single parent after his wife and daughter died in a car accident. The now President proposed five times and, in 1977, they married, with Jill becoming stepmother to Joe’s sons Hunter and Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015.
When asked about the secret to their 43-year marriage by CBS, Joe said simply, ‘I adore her… when she comes down the steps and I look at her, my heart still skips a beat.’ Their daughter Ashley, 39, says her mother is ‘fierce’ and ‘extremely loyal’ and keeps her father grounded by always reminding him to take out the rubbish and wash his breakfast bowl.
Kate Andersen Brower, Washington journalist, author of Team Of Five: The Presidents Club In The Age Of Trump and CNN contributor, tells Grazia, ‘My sense is that Jill Biden is very much like [Biden]. She’s got a great sense of humour, she’s very empathetic, she’s not quite as quick to hug people as he is, but she’s certainly more emotional than Melania Trump was.’
As for Melania, she’s said to be considering writing a coffee-table book, while former ‘first daughter’ Ivanka is apparently planning to run for office in Florida. But, with Trump leaving office in ignominy, their futures remain uncertain.
Meanwhile, back in the White House, Jill plans to focus on education, military families, veterans and her cancer initiative. Her experience in Washington means ‘she’s in a unique position to really make some actual progress and get things done’, says Kate. Katherine Jellison, a history professor at Ohio University and First Ladies expert, predicts Jill will redefine the role for the 21st century by reflecting the lives of more American women. ‘That may make her a much more relatable First Lady than many others have been,’ she tells Grazia.