The social media were in a frenzy last 20 September after First Lady Jill Biden presented at what may be one of President Biden’s final Cabinet meetings in the White House.
Biden convened his Cabinet for the first time since 2 October 2023 – this time with the first lady joining him to speak about the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research.
The president explained Jill Biden’s presence there, saying, "Here and across previous administrations, first ladies have attended these meetings for specific reasons. This is the first time Jill has joined us, and it goes to show how important the issue is, which she is about to speak to."
He concluded by handing off to his wife, saying, "It’s all yours, kid."
The New York Post reported that Jill Biden, seated at the head of the Cabinet Room’s board table, "read from a binder about maternal health initiatives for four-and-a-half minutes after her husband spoke for just two minutes off the top of the meeting."
The president traditionally sits at the center of the table with Cabinet members seated in order of the founding of their departments. The last sitting first lady to attend her husband's Cabinet meeting appears to be Hillary Clinton.
The amount of influence the first lady has over Joe Biden, and therefore his administration, has been a frequent source of controversy, and numerous commentators took to social media to criticize her presence at the meeting.
The New York Post said that Jill Biden is "considered by insiders to be the most influential first lady since Edith Wilson, who tightly controlled access to her husband, President Woodrow Wilson, after he suffered a debilitating stroke in October 1919."
Digital strategist Greg Price referenced this comparison, saying, "She's literally Edith Wilson except right out in the open in a 24/7 news cycle and nobody in the media cares."
Political commentator Kate Hyde observed, "Jill Biden is kicking off the first cabinet meeting the White House has had in almost a year and we’re expected to act like this is normal."
"Jill Biden is the head of the table at the cabinet meeting. No one voted for her to be there... this must be part of her deal to have Joe drop out of the race," podcaster Tim Young speculated. "She has no reason to be there."