Jill Biden comes into the role of first lady with the most Washington experience since first lady Barbara Bush.
Both former second ladies married to men with storied political resumes, it would be easy to assume that Biden could easily slip into the position and hit the ground running. But as the outspoken Bush found out, there’s nothing that can prepare new first ladies for the glare of the national spotlight.
Bush even had some caution for those moving up from second lady. She told biographer and Rider University professor Myra Gutin, “When I was second lady, nobody really cared what I said. But the minute I walked into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., everything was newsworthy.”
Gutin told us, “I think she just couldn’t get over that, but, for somebody who was in politics for so long and saw the ebb and flow, she sure got used to it.”
As will Biden, according to several associates and experts who told us they expect her to be more like Bush and first lady Laura Bush, who championed causes and were their husbands’ closest advisers, and less like first lady Hillary Clinton, who acted as assistant president and handled key policies such as healthcare.
“I don’t see her being someone who will be making political speeches or policy pronouncements,” said Ohio University professor Katherine Jellison.
Small acts of kindness can mean so much – especially to a service member deployed overseas or a military family missing them at home. Thank you @OpGratitude for letting us join you today and for all you do. pic.twitter.com/Z6x6z17qU2
— Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) December 10, 2020
Since the election, Biden has made headlines for hiring a high-powered staff, signaling she wants to have an outsize voice, and she’s kept with her focus on education and military families.
She has also brought a quieting, civil voice to the tension in the nation. She tweeted, for example, “During the most challenging moments, small acts of kindness can often go the furthest, and the gift of your time can often be the greatest.”
Biden campaign pollster Celinda Lake said that the new first lady will be key in the president-elect’s effort to make good on his promises to unify the country.
Educators: this is our moment.
We’re going to make sure that every child, every school, and every educator has what they need to thrive regardless of where they live or where they come from.
— Dr. Jill Biden (@DrBiden) November 17, 2020
“I think Dr. Jill Biden will play a very active role in that,” she said. “This is a shared belief that they have. And I think Dr. Biden and our Vice President-elect Harris are very, very important voices, particularly to women who, from the get-go, wanted more civility and less division,” said Lake.
Biden said that she will continue to teach community college, and insiders said that she will use that as a perch to promote education and the two-year schools, which received a boost under the Trump administration.
Martha Parham, with the American Association of Community Colleges, said having somebody familiar with the schools in the White House will be a boon. “Having that kind of insider knowledge from somebody at the White House or at that high level of government will be beneficial just in terms of informing the knowledge base,” she said.
Jellison added, “She can play a big role in bringing attention to the teaching profession as a whole and perhaps working to recruit more young people into the profession.”
But job one, as most saw during the campaign, will be standing next to her husband and giving support and advice.
“It’s another voice, and the voice of the first lady in most cases does not have an agenda and is looking out for the welfare of her spouse,” Gutin said. “There are lots of examples, going all the way back to Lady Bird Johnson, who used to try to get Lyndon to cut down on his schedule because she worried about his health. We have Nancy Reagan, and also Barbara Bush, who really has the president’s back and were not shy about saying to the president, ‘This person is not serving you well.’”
