First Lady Jill Biden initiated her fundraising endeavors in January, deeming it “early” to preempt that “feeling of despair” which she felt the morning after the 2016 presidential election.At a private gathering for the Biden Victory Fund in Houston on Saturday evening, the First Lady addressed attendees at a dinner hosted by Ellen Susman.
“I want you to remember how you felt in 2016, the morning after the election, when you all said to yourself, ‘Oh, my God, what just happened?’ Right. I’m taking you back. So, we cannot let that happen again. And that’s why I’m asking you to, you know, think about if you’re committed,” Biden said.
Speaking to a group of twenty two guests, many of whom were acquainted with the Bidens, gathered around the dining table, the First Lady addressed Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who had welcomed her at the airport earlier that day. Biden’s speech, lasting approximately eleven minutes, commenced with reflections on her enduring friendship with Susman, forged during the campaign trail amid the pandemic. She then transitioned into her remarks concerning the re-election of President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election.
I am committed to a democracy.
Jill Biden
Biden mentioned the recent Senate border negotiations on a bill that President Biden supports.
“You see what happened today with the border, and now Trump is trying to do everything he can to make Joe look bad, you know, even at the lives — sacrificing lives of so many people just for his own political gain,” Biden said.
“I know it’s early to start, but I want you to sort of think after you leave tonight that yes, I am committed to a democracy. And yes, I’m going to fight as hard as I can and not let anything like 2016 happen again.”
Former President Donald Trump posted on social media that he did not support the bill.
“I do not think we should do a Border Deal, at all, unless we get EVERYTHING needed to shut down the INVASION of Millions & Millions of people, many from parts unknown, into our once great, but soon to be great again, Country!”, former President Trump wrote.
In another post made on Truth Social, Trump continued to show his disagreement to the proposed border bill.
“A BAD BORDER DEAL IS FAR WORSE THAN NO BORDER DEAL!” Trump wrote.
Jill Biden: I can’t believe that mainstream Republicans really want what the MAGA extremists want
Jill Biden urged the guests to contemplate their strategies for supporting the upcoming election and expressed gratitude for their backing, regardless of their party affiliation. She emphasized that although it might appear improbable for Biden not to be re-elected, they must remain prepared for any eventuality.
“I can’t believe that mainstream Republicans really want what the MAGA extremists want, either. It’s hard for me to believe that they, you know, they want to tear apart the fabric of our country.”
To close her speech, Biden quoted historian and author Heather Cox Richardson about a recent column she had written Martin Luther King Jr. A line that had resonated with the first lady was “that there are no heroes left”. Biden proceeded to ask the guests to think of their heroes, and recited a quote from King.
“He said, ‘I know that this country is in trouble. I know this nation is sick,’” Biden said. “So he said, ‘Only through the darkness can you see the stars.'”
“I thought that that really was a reflection of what we have today. Like we are sort of wading through this darkness I think of all the things that are going on with the division in our country. But you know, I think in November, we’re gonna look up. We’re gonna see those stars. And we’re going to know who our heroes are.”
