Joe and Jill Biden opened up to 'Vogue' about how the presidency has impacted their marriage.
President Joe Biden is opening up about how the presidency has affected his marriage to his wife, first lady Dr. Jill Biden. In a new interview with Vogue, the pair shared how the mood of the country has changed since Biden took office and how stepping into their new roles has impacted their 44-year marriage.
"During the campaign, I felt so much anxiety from people; they were scared. When I travel around the country now, I feel as though people can breathe again. I think that’s part of the reason Joe was elected," Dr. Biden said of the shift that's taken place since her husband took office in January. "People wanted someone to come in and heal this nation, not just from the pandemic, which I feel Joe did by, you know, getting shots in everybody’s arms. But also...he’s just a calmer president. He lowers the temperature."
President Biden had that same confidence in his wife's ability to not only take on the role of first lady, but to also make positive changes for the nation.
"It was clear to me that she knew exactly what she would do if she were first lady. And so she came in, I think—knowing the experience of being vice president, knowing the power of the presidency—knowing that she could change things," Biden told the magazine.
And the professor takes that responsibility seriously, telling Vogue that the list of things she wants to accomplish has only grown since her time as second lady during Barack Obama's presidency.
"When I became second lady—and there was so much I wanted to do—I always said, ‘I will never waste this platform… And now I have a bigger platform and I feel every day, like....What could I give up? That I would want to give up? Nothing. If anything, I feel like adding more things, but I know it’s not possible, because you want to stay centered, because you want to do things well. And there’s so much to do. There is...so. Much. To. Do," Dr. Biden explained.
But with their new roles and extremely busy schedules, the couple has found there's another important task on their new to-do list: stealing time for one another.
"I miss her. I’m really proud of her. But it’s not like we can just go off like we used to. When we were living in Delaware and married, once a month we’d just go up to a local bed-and-breakfast by ourselves, to make sure we had a romantic time to just get away and hang out with each other," Biden shared. "She’s been traveling all over the country. And doing major events for me…and for the country. And so I’ll find that I’m working on a hell of an important speech and I’m distracted. And then I may not be working on one and I want to go and hang out with her, and she’s working on an important speech! Or grading papers. We have to figure out a way—and I mean this sincerely—to be able to steal time for one another. I think that’s the deal."
For more on President Biden, watch the video below.
RELATED CONTENT
