Politics
Longtime CNN Personality Scorches Jill Biden
It was a quiet moment of reflection for First Lady Jill Biden during her recent interview with The Washington Post. She spoke of relationships, disappointments, and decades of political alliances that have shaped her life.
But what started as a reflective piece quickly took a sharp turn when longtime CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza weighed in on her role in the 2024 election. The first lady’s remarks about former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set the stage.
Cillizza, known for his candid political analysis, didn’t hold back in his critique. On Thursday, he laid significant blame at Jill Biden’s feet for her role in the president’s 2024 campaign missteps.
“Now, at one level, I get this, okay? Jill Biden is a spouse first, and she has her spouse’s back, right? She’s not a political strategist first, so I understand that she’s disappointed,” Cillizza began. “At the same time, it seems to me that Jill Biden bears at least some, if not a significant chunk of the blame for what happened with her husband and Democrats in the 2024 election.”
According to Cillizza, Jill Biden was a driving force behind the president’s decision to seek reelection, despite mounting concerns over his age and capabilities. “Quite clearly, from all of the reporting that we know about, Jill Biden was the driving force to get Joe Biden to run again, first of all, and then to fight the idea that he was too old and not physically and mentally capable of serving for another four years.”
He went on to criticize her unwavering defense of the president, even after a faltering June debate performance. “Even after that June 27th debate to insist that it was a brief blip. He was totally fine, and anyone trying to push him out was disloyal.”
“I really do think that Jill Biden’s role has not gotten enough attention, scrutiny, and, candidly, blame. I don’t think that without her, I don’t think Joe Biden probably runs again. But she felt like he should for a variety of reasons, some of which I think were altruistic. She thought he could beat Donald Trump, etc., etc. But I do think she let her personal judgment get in the way when we are talking about a president of the United States.”
The analyst’s most pointed critique centered on Jill Biden’s possible awareness of her husband’s physical and mental struggles. “It is extremely hard for me to believe that Joe Biden’s spouse never saw her husband in a state of confusion or a fog like we saw him display during the June 27th debate. She’s with him virtually every day. And so, given that, it seems irresponsible to say, yes, he should be, he’s fine.”
Cillizza added, “I do think it is worth spending a little time thinking on Jill Biden’s role and the blame. I think she deserves not all of it, not the lion’s share of it. She wasn’t the candidate, but the blame she does deserve for putting her husband in that position.”
WATCH:
Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid last July came after intense persuasion from senior Democratic leaders, including Pelosi. Reports indicate Pelosi presented Biden with internal polling data and urged him to step down for the sake of the party. For Jill Biden, the fallout has been deeply personal.
Jill Biden revealed her disappointment in Pelosi’s decision not to stand firmly behind her husband during a pivotal time. “Let’s just say I was disappointed with how it unfolded,” Jill told The Post. The subtle jab was unmistakable. The tension stems from Pelosi’s July appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, where she remarked, “It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” despite Joe Biden’s public commitment to his reelection bid.
