First Lady Jill Biden’s former press secretary Michael Larosa answered for the first lady’s influence over her husband Tuesday evening on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
Jill Biden, who reportedly makes the Marine Corps Band play her own “Hail to the Chief” style entrance theme, reportedly has the most influence over Biden regarding his reelection bid. Fox News host Jesse Watters pressed Larosa on Jill Biden’s role in keeping President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket.
“Tell me a little bit about Dr. Jill. We don’t know her the way you know Dr. Jill. She apparently is telling Joe, ‘Stay in,’ and isn’t listening to the press or anyone at all. Why?” Watters asked.
Biden quit his 1988 presidential campaign after reports surfaced in Sept. 1987 that he plagiarized a speech by British Opposition and Labour Party Leader Neil Kinnock. Larosa told Watters that the plagiarism scandal was “scarring” and a “huge learning lesson” for both Bidens.
“So, one thing that was so interesting about the George Stephanopoulos interview when he said that if, if we lose, he would have given it his all. And you’ve got a lot of flak for that, right? It reminded me so much what happened in 87’ because as soon as he dropped out that same day, he was going into a hearing to chair the board hearings. And this really was gonna be, like, the next step for political rehab for him. Well, Jill was with him in the anti-room and she heard him say something very similar like, ‘Well, at least I can go focus on this hearing now’ and she cut him off and took him by the shoulders and just kind of hold by the lapels and said, ‘No, you have to go f-ing win. And, uh, because she knew that was sort of the retaliation moment for him,” Larosa said.
“And, you know, they were driven from that campaign, and I think they learned a long time ago they were gonna let line quotes or polls or pundits really push them out ever again,” he continued. “And I think that, that moment was scarring for them, Jesse. You know, she had never had his character or his integrity attacked before. He had been groomed to run for president for 15 years. He was our next, he was a great rising hope, and the way that campaign ended was pretty devastating for them. But it was a huge learning lesson in sort of political combat. You know, she’s from Philly like you, so she likes to fight.”
“Yeah, we love to fight. We like to scrap. And we’ll just do it for fun. We don’t care,” Watters said. “Did you hear Michael Moore at the top accuse Dr. Jill Biden of elder abuse? What would Dr. Jill say to that?” (RELATED: Where The Hell Is It?’: Jill Biden’s Fmr Press Sec Rages At Ex-Biden Official For ‘Gaslighting’ Supporters, Media)
“What she would say is that she hates politics, but she loves him,” Larosa responded. “And he never got in the way of her career, she wasn’t gonna get in the way of his. They just never did that with their, both of their aspirations. It just wasn’t, it’s not a ‘Leave It to Beaver’ 1950s ro— you know, comedy for that. They’re pretty independent. They left, they lived independent professional lives outside of each other’s shadows.”
“So, she would never… she would probably not — this is his decision, you know? She, Jill and the advisors and his sister and his family are probably there and giving advice. But Jill alone won’t make this decision, and I don’t know if Democrats really want her to be making the decision for the party. And I don’t think she would want that decision. I don’t think she’s comfortable with it,” Larosa told Watters.
Biden repeatedly reiterated his intent to continue his 2024 re-election bid in multiple post-debate interviews, including one with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and two black radio hosts from Milwaukee and Philadelphia. Jill Biden hit the road to campaign for Biden in three different states on Monday, where she assured voters that her husband is “all in.”
