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First lady to visit North Carolina with her husband’s political future in doubt

newsobserver.com 2024/10/5
First Lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden take the stage during a campaign event at the Jim Graham building at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh on Friday June 28, 2024. Biden debated former President Trump in Atlanta the previous night. hdiehl@newsobserver.com

All eyes are on President Joe Biden as some Democrats urge him to end his reelection campaign, but on Monday, his wife, first lady Jill Biden, will be back in North Carolina.

Political observers believe Jill Biden is her husband’s most influential adviser on whether he remains in the race.

So her trip to Wilmington on Monday could draw more attention than is typical for a first lady’s visit due to speculation on what her husband plans to do next.

The exact details about where she will be and the nature of her visit are not yet known.

But it marks the third time she has come to North Carolina in less than two weeks.

On June 25, Jill Biden visited Charlotte and told a small group of supporters that the campaign is not about age but character.

That messaging became more pronounced when she returned to the state with her husband overnight on June 28, following a debate against former President Donald Trump that left many Democrats calling for Biden to end his campaign.

The debate, which Biden is now calling “a bad night,” left many wondering about the president’s cognitive abilities and whether he could lead the country through four more years in office.

The next day, Biden held his first post-debate campaign event, in Raleigh, with his wife by his side. There, he addressed the fallout.

“I know I’m not a young man,” Biden said. “I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong, and I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done.

“And I know like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down you get back up,” Biden said.

But it didn’t quell the questions people had about his abilities or stop media reports that Biden could back out of the race.

Now, as Biden’s political future is in question, there is speculation about Gov. Roy Cooper’s future and whether that could include a run for president or vice president.

Cooper and Vice President Kamala Harris have a relationship that reaches back to when they served as attorneys general of North Carolina and California, respectively.

But so far, Cooper is standing firmly behind Biden and his desire to continue his campaign.

After meeting virtually with the president on Wednesday, Cooper released a statement on social media that Biden told him he would continue to run for reelection and “we’ll continue to do everything we can to deliver North Carolina for him.”

Biden also mentioned at his Raleigh rally that if he is reelected, there may be a position for Cooper in his administration.

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