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Jill Biden told DailyMail.com on Thursday that “it’s always time to have a female president” amid speculation that Joe Biden will not seek a second term in the White House.
The first lady, during her trip to Namibia, praised the high number of women in government service in the African country.
Asked by DailyMail.com if it was time for the United States to have a female president, she replied: “It’s always time for a female president, no matter what country you’re in.”
“I’m very supportive of women running for office,” she said.
President Biden has yet to announce that he will run again in 2024 and that has some Democrats developing a Plan B in case he doesn’t get in the ring. political informed.
Vice President Kamala Harris would be an obvious candidate, and if the Bidens endorse her, she would be the favorite to win the nomination despite concerns about her mistakes and lack of achievement during the administration.
Jill Biden hands out sweets to children during her visit to Namibia in southern Africa
Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden together in the Oval Office
Vice President Kamala Harris is the first Black and South Asian woman to serve in the position.
Obviously, Jill Biden would support her husband if he were to run again. And her voice will be one of the best I’ll hear as she thinks about making another career.
The first lady is one of the president’s most influential advisers and will be one of the last voices he hears as he makes the decision to seek four more years in the White House.
During her trip to Namibia, where she is spreading goodwill and reminding African countries of the humanitarian aid the United States has provided, she also speaks about empowering women.
‘In Namibia there are so many women in public office, so many women in government. They are not afraid to jump,” she said.
Namibia’s parliament is made up of 44% women. In its executive branch, which has 25 titular ministers, four are women while of the 25 deputy ministers, 15 are women.
‘When I got off the plane, do you know who I got off and met? All women, one man,’ he said of his arrival in the country. He pointed out that the only man was American: the US ambassador to Namibia, Randy Berry.
Jill Biden has signaled her willingness to go through another presidential campaign. The president was expected to announce a second candidacy in February after his State of the Union address, but the month is quickly drawing to a close without any pronouncement.
Actual events have prompted a final decision by the president, Politico reported. Biden recently made a secret trip to Ukraine and met with Western allies in Poland as the first anniversary of the Russian invasion approaches.
There would be no shortage of Democrats to run if he decides to drop a ticket: Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Bernie Sanders, and Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois, Gavin Newsom of California and Phil Murphy of New Jersey have all been mentioned as contenders.
For her part, Harris has said she hopes Biden will run again and that she would be running with him.
“Joe Biden … has said that he intends to run for re-election as president and I intend to run with him for vice president of the United States,” he told NBC News last month.
It’s unclear if the Bidens would back her if Joe Biden didn’t run. Presidents traditionally remain neutral in their party’s primaries.
And Jill Biden hasn’t always supported Harris. Initially, she was against putting Harris on the ballot because Harris scored points in a Democratic primary debate by attacking Joe Biden’s record of busing black students to better schools in majority-white districts.
“There are millions of people in the United States,” he said. ‘Why do we have to choose the one who attacked Joe?’
And some Democrats worry that Harris will be a drag on Biden’s re-election campaign.
Jill Biden and her granddaughter Naomi Biden in Namibia
Joe Biden, 80, is the oldest sitting president in US history. If he runs and wins a second term, he would be 86 when he left office.
There have been concerns about his health given his age. He had his annual physical last month, where his doctor declared him fit to serve as president.
Some Democrats worry that Republicans will use the president’s age against him and, going a step further, attack Harris’ credentials to take the top job should Biden’s health fail.
Harris has had notable missteps during her time as vice president, including laughing during an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt when discussing the southern border.
He was tasked with migrating the causes of migration to the US, a job at which his critics say he failed.
Harris’s supporters counter that she is held to a different standard as the first female president and that she has been given some of the toughest tasks in the administration.
Jill Biden, 71, also faced a health challenge earlier this year when she underwent Mohs surgery to remove skin cancer from her face and chest. All lesions were removed and her doctor declared that she did not have cancer.