Jill Biden stumbles when asked if Joe is ready to ‘move on’ – but insists it was the ‘right call’ to drop out
Jill Biden stumbled a bit when asked if she and President Joe Biden were ready to leave the White House, admitting it would be “tough.”
Ultimately, she said, the president made the “right decision” when he decided to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
‘I’ve had four great years. Joe and I — I mean, really, it was the honor of a lifetime. It will be hard to maybe part with it. We’re starting a new chapter of our lives, a new journey,” she told ABC’s Good Morning America, pausing to ponder the question in her interview that aired Monday.
‘We have been in politics for fifty years. I think we are ready for the new journey,” she added.
But “it was the right decision, yes,” she said.
The first lady gave ABC a sneak peek at the new public tour of the White House, which includes new, detailed exhibits on the presidential mansion and a new room added to the tour list.
Jill Biden told ABC News it will be “tough” to leave the White House
She said the new tour is part of her legacy as first lady.
“Education has been my life’s work,” she told ABC.
“I think it’s important for people to learn and learn about the White House, about the presidency. Learn about our government and our democracy and how blessed we are to live in America.”
The new tour includes more historical information about the White House and a behind-the-scenes look at the first families.
Private photos of Barack and Michelle Obama at the residence with children Sasha and Malia are part of the exhibit, as well as a photo of the Bidens at the residence with Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Willow, the Bidens’ cat, is hiding under the coffee table.
In addition, the Diplomatic Chamber has been added to the tour for the first time. In the historic room, presidents greet visiting heads of state and leave the White House to board Marine One.
Jill Biden said she used her teaching experience as a driving force behind the new tour design, which took about two years to complete.
‘As a teacher for forty years, I know that we all learn in different ways. Some of us learn something by hearing, some of us learn something by feeling something. That’s why we’ve added dynamic, flexible, and tangible learning tools to help you follow your curiosity. Now you can do everything you always wanted to do in the museums,” she said on Tuesday.
The tour has been expanded to allow guests to enter rooms such as the Library and the China Room for a closer look. Previously, ropes kept guests standing at the doorway, limiting their view of the room.
The rooms have digital exhibitions. For example, the China Room has a digital exhibit with a slideshow of all the presidential China patterns.
The rooms also have tactile areas, so guests can feel the marble used in sculptures or the metal used to decorate.
During the tour there are collages of digital photos that can be easily replaced. It also allows the exhibits to be easily changed for special events, such as state dinners and holidays.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at a dinner Sunday evening in honor of the tour
A video message from Jill Biden greets visitors
The Diplomatic Room has been added to the tour
There is also an exhibition about life in the residence (the top two floors of the mansion) with photos of the family lives of former presidents.
The opening exhibition of digital photos features all the presidents who have lived in the White House. The East Wing worked with presidential libraries and, in Donald Trump’s case, his office, to select the photos on display.
About 10,000 people visit the White House every week. The tour lasts 30-45 minutes.
The History Channel sponsored the changes in partnership with the National Park Service, which oversees care of the White House. The History Channel donated the cost of the project – approximately $5 million.
The new tour kicks off with a welcome video from Jill Biden and includes a message from President Joe Biden.
These videos will be replaced next year by the new president and the presidential wife.
Photos of presidential families at the residence are included – above are Barack and Michelle Obama with Sasha and Malia
President Joe Biden greets visitors in the East Room
Video screens show a rotating collection of images from previous presidencies
“It was an honor to serve as your first lady. It’s special to be able to bring friends to the White House. We are doing it today and sharing it with all of you,” Jill Biden said Monday in the Rose Garden as she formally unveiled the tour.
“To preserve our history, we must teach it. We learn from the wisdom of the past and weave it into our future. And when you walk through this house, I hope you will feel the history here,” she added.
‘It is your history, and it lives in each of you and connects you to those who came before you and to each other. One of the things that makes this home so special is that it belongs to you, the American people, and as first lady it was a privilege to share it with all of you.”