President Joe Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, was a major motivator for him to decide to run for reelection, according to a presidential historian who spoke with reporters over the weekend.
The author of “The Unfinished Presidency,” Douglas Brinkley, claimed on Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that Jill Biden has acted in complete contrast to other first ladies.
He mentioned that the spouses of past Presidents Harry Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson informed them that they would not like to serve a second term, which led both men to opt to resign from office.
“She plays a crucial role. It’s Dr. Jill Biden, he declared. You know, Harry Truman had the option to run in 1952 but chose not to. Why? The Korean War, among other factors, to be sure. But Bess didn’t like Washington and wanted to return to Independence, Missouri.
“If you go forward to 1968, many will claim that Walter Cronkite was the reason Lyndon Johnson resigned in March of that year. “No,” he went on. The main issues were that he was smoking, had high blood pressure, had a sick heart, was under stress, and Lady Bird Johnson didn’t want to remain home. She also desired to return to Texas and persuade Johnson to resign.
“That’s not Jill Biden’s situation. She enjoys having authority. She really wants to remain. He went on, “She’s looking for some kind of retribution. She is a Virginia Community College instructor. This environment, which surrounds our building, is her home. And when you read those kinds of accounts, it just seems so infantile to give it all up after enduring the abuse of the past several years, just to declare at the last minute, right before all the delegates arrive, that you’re going to let everyone in.”
