OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
First Lady Jill Biden understandably sticks up for her husband, President Joe Biden, but in attempting to defend him recently, she appeared to confirm some concerns held by many critics.
During an event last week at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, the first lady spoke to what she likely believed was a friendly audience in blue Massachusetts that would be receptive to her story regarding her husband’s political struggles to date.
But she actually highlighted the president’s failures which provided grist for Joe Biden’s harshest critics.
“[The President] had so many hopes and plans for things he wanted to do, but every time you turned around, he had to address the problems of the moment,” Biden told a group of about two dozen donors at a private home on the island of Nantucket, according to CNN.
“He’s just had so many things thrown his way,” she added, “Who would have ever thought about what happened [with the Supreme Court overturning] Roe v Wade? Well, maybe we saw it coming, but still, we didn’t believe it. The gun violence in this country is absolutely appalling. We didn’t see the war in Ukraine coming.”
Critics jumped on these remarks as justification of their prior claims that Joe Biden was unprepared for the presidency.
“Admitting Not Ready for Prime Time! Jill Biden said at DNC Fundraiser.. “Joe had so many hopes & plans” Apparently the “Malaise Speech” is starting ~ Biden admits a Lame Duck. Joe’s Self Inflicted Crisis Inflation, U.S. Border, Crime Crisis, Failed Mideast Trip, World Chaos,” one user noted on Twitter.
Admitting Not Ready for Prime Time!
Jill Biden said at DNC Fundraiser..
"Joe had so many hopes & plans"Apparently the "Malaise Speech" is starting ~
Biden admits a Lame Duck🤔Joe's Self Inflicted Crisis
Inflation, U.S. Border, Crime Crisis, Failed Mideast Trip, World Chaos— Lawyerforlaws (@lawyer4laws) July 18, 2022
“This is literally so funny. Can First Lady Jill Biden please explain to my boss that I had so many hopes and plans for things I wanted to do but every time I turned around there was a problem I had to address,” another wrote.
“I have no doubt the President’s job is very challenging, but other presidents had faced tougher challenges and still accomplished things, rather we like the outcome or not. She basically said her husband is unfit to be President,” said another user.
Unsurprisingly, Jill Biden blamed the opposition party for being opposed to her Democratic husband’s agenda, as well as that of the Democrat-controlled Congress.
Biden went on to blame Republicans for her husband’s difficulty passing his agenda.
“I know there are so many nay-sayers who say we’ll get slammed in the midterms. Okay. The Republicans are working hard, they stick together, for good or evil. So, we just have to work harder,” she said according to the outlet.
But, as the National Review points out:
However, it is Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia who has kept Democrats in Congress from using budget reconciliation to pass President Biden’s agenda with just a simple majority.
Manchin killed President Biden’s Build Back Better bill in December and said last week that he would not support any climate or tax provisions in Democrats’ new economic bill.
In fact, Manchin has been one of the administration’s biggest critics, especially when it comes to inflation, which he has largely blamed on Biden’s anti-fossil fuel policies and the Democrat-controlled Congress’ massive spending.
Manchin took aim at the White House again last week after the Labor Dept. announced another massive rise in the inflation rate in June to 9.1 percent.
On Thursday, the moderate Democrat from West Virginia walked away from talks regarding another major tax-and-spending measure backed by the White House and most other members of his party.
Manchin “pulled the plug on Thursday on negotiations to salvage key pieces of President Biden’s agenda, informing his party’s leaders that he would not support funding for climate or energy programs or raising taxes on wealthy Americans and corporations,” The New York Times reported.
The paper added: “The decision by Mr. Manchin, a conservative-leaning Democrat whose opposition has effectively stalled Mr. Biden’s economic package in the evenly divided Senate, dealt a devastating blow to his party’s efforts to enact a broad social safety net, climate, and tax package.”
