Jill Biden’s new memoir offers a revealing look back at her time as First Lady, including one supposedly uncomfortable encounter with Melania Trump.
The two women have reportedly never been especially close and even skipped the customary tea meeting usually held between an outgoing and incoming first lady during a White House transition.
Jill Biden Details A Tense Moment In The Motorcade With Melania
Despite both serving as first ladies, Jill and Melania have rarely shared a space, and when they have, their encounters appear to have been strained.
In her new memoir, Jill recalls one such moment, when she shared a motorcade ride with the incoming first lady on the second day of Donald Trump’s second inauguration, per The Washington Post.
Also in the vehicle was John Bessler, the husband of Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who tried to make friendly conversation with Melania. However, the exchange reportedly turned uncomfortable when he brought up a more personal topic.
According to Jill, Bessler asked Melania about her son Barron’s experience at New York University. Melania, however, appeared reluctant to discuss it and instead “kept trying to switch the topic to the weather.
Jill Says Melania Was ‘Polite And Controlled’
Another tense recollection involving Melania centered on a conversation Jill said they had shortly after the attempt on Donald Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the 2024 campaign.
Concerned for Melania, Jill said she reached out to express sympathy and let her know she was thinking of both her and Barron.
However, Jill claimed Melania responded as “polite and controlled as ever,” even after such a distressing moment.
Overall, the relationship between the two first ladies appears to have been frosty, with both women often avoiding one another when possible.
It is therefore unsurprising that Melania did not accept Jill’s invitation to the traditional inauguration tea. Mrs. Trump also did not extend the customary courtesy to her predecessor after her first tenure at the White House.
Jill Biden Targeted Donald Trump In Her Memoir
Donald Trump is mentioned more prominently in Jill’s memoir than Melania, though she rarely refers to him by name. Instead, she calls him “Joe’s opponent” or “the incoming president.”
In many of the passages where she references him, there is little apparent fondness, reflecting her view of the billionaire businessman.
In one section, Jill criticized Trump’s use of a photo of her and Biden in conversation to promote his $199 cologne.
The ad carried the tagline, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist,” to which Jill responded pointedly, “Really?”
Another moment came as she reflected on her final night in the White House residence, writing that she felt “anxious for what the next day would bring,” as the 47th president prepared to return for his second term “like some kind of avenging spirit.”
Jill Claims Joe Biden’s Advisers Wanted Him To Run In 2024
Perhaps the most anticipated section for readers is Jill’s account of her husband’s decision to seek a second term.
This part of the story comes later in the book, where she reveals that those close to Joe Biden believed he was mentally and physically fit to run again.
“Every one of his senior advisers insisted he needed to run,” Jill wrote in the memoir. “Even if he had slowed down in the years before his reelection bid, I believed in my heart that he was still good enough and wise enough and capable enough to govern.”
Jill Biden Faces Criticism From The White House
Despite Jill’s claim that she believed her husband was fit enough to seek another term, she has faced criticism from those who argue she was aware of his alleged decline and still supported his campaign.
The latest criticism comes from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt ahead of the memoir’s release. “The former first lady should certainly speak up about what she saw in regard to her husband and when she saw it and what she knew, because I think anybody looking again at the videos and photo evidence of Joe Biden with your own eyes and a little bit of common sense can see this was a clear cover-up,” Leavitt said, per Fox News.