While taking questions from reporters at a news conference last week, President Biden was unexpectedly joined by his wife, the first lady, Jill Biden, who was sitting on the side.
Jokingly the President introduced his wife and noted that she was a lot more popular within the Democratic party than he was.
This is a clear indication of the power that the first lady holds over Biden, especially when it comes to deciding whether he would be seeking reelection in 2024. During Wednesday’s press conference Biden referred to his wife several times and stressed that choosing whether or not he would run again was a “family decision”.
He also added that he was hoping the two of them would get to have some time to discuss this more in-depth during the holidays and make a decision early next year.
One Democratic strategist noted that it was interesting to see her seated there, as it made her involvement very evident. Another Biden ally spoke about how Jill Biden was central to everything from Biden’s messaging to his decision-making. They added that she was his closest adviser.
The President has so far held three White House press conferences, one in March 2021, one in January 2022 and the third one after the Midterm election Day, on Wednesday. This last one marked the first time that the first lady was also seated in the audience during a press conference.
