Jill Biden is re-introducing herself to the public after serving eight years in as Second Lady
Credit: Reuters
It was from a Delaware high school where she taught in the Nineties that she offered the emotive address during the virtual Democratic National Convention, promising that classrooms across the country “will ring out with laughter and possibility once again” if her husband becomes president.
Family tragedy
The address also touched on the Biden family’s encounters with tragedy, with Dr Biden describing how she met the family after Mr Biden’s first wife and infant daughter were killed in a car crash in 1972, leaving him to raise his three- and four-year old sons, Beau and Hunter, alone.
In a remark that will resonate with many relatives of coronavirus victims, she spoke about what it takes to “make a broken family whole”.
The pair were introduced on a blind date in 1975, and married in 1977. Though Joe had to propose five times before she said yes: having married young and divorced by 24, she said she had to be “100 per cent sure this marriage would last until death do us part,” so his sons didn’t lose another mother.
She went on to raise the boys as her own, alongside Ashley, the daughter she had with Joe in 1981. But tragedy struck the Biden family again in 2015, when Beau died from brain cancer.
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In her speech, Jill drew parallels with her husband’s experience leading his family through personal adversity and what she described as his ability to lead the nation through its current crises, telling viewers that his “strength of will is unstoppable.”
The speech – her most high-profile yet – marked a considerable evolution for the initially-reluctant political wife.
In her memoir, she writes of having no desire to “give any speeches, anytime, anywhere – just the thought of doing so made me so nervous I felt sick.”
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Joe and Jill Biden embrace after the first presidential debate
Credit: AP
‘She has a unique role’
She has become one of her husband’s most prominent surrogates on this year’s campaign trail, regularly appearing in virtual events, headlining town halls and holding calls with supporters.
However, her inner circle have pushed back on the suggestion she serves as a political adviser, insisting that their relationship is far more nuanced.
“He’s got plenty of political advisers. That’s not what she is,” said Cathy Russell, who was Dr Biden’s chief of staff during the Obama administration and is now a vice chair on the campaign. “She is his spouse, and she loves him, and she talks to him about all sorts of things, but she has a unique role, and it’s not being a political adviser. That’s not her thing.”
Dr Biden’s convention address also showcased her more personal side, detailing her love for running as well as her mischievous sense of fun, with her grandchildren recounting anecdotes involving her practical jokes.
The Democrat often proudly introduces himself as "Jill Biden's husband"
Credit: AFP
Her speech even won plaudits from Republicans, including senator Lindsey Graham, a key ally of Donald Trump. "Jill Biden did a very good job representing herself and Joe in the causes they believe in. She’s an outstanding person who has led a consequential life," he tweeted.
The 69-year-old’s biggest fan is undoubtedly Joe, who often proudly refers to himself as “Jill Biden’s husband” – and introduced himself as such when he bounded onto the screen to congratulate her at the end of her live address; his first official appearance since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.
“Just think of your favourite educator who gave you the confidence to believe in yourself, that’s the kind of First Lady Jill will be,” he told the audience.
Her pitch to voters was a pledge to fix the “broken” American family. If the rave reviews of her address are any measure, she has already won many hearts.
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