Jill Biden promises her husband will provide 'leadership worthy of this nation'

(Image credit: Handout/DNCC via Getty Images)

published 19 August 2020

Speaking from the school in Delaware where she once taught English, Jill Biden, the wife of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, made the case for her husband and why she believes he is the right person to lead the country as it deals with the coronavirus pandemic.

Her remarks closed out the second night of the Democratic National Convention, and came after Joe Biden officially received the Democratic Party's nomination. Jill Biden said she knows how difficult this time is for Americans, especially those whose children can't go to school or who have to wait in line at food banks. "The burdens we carry are heavy, and we need someone with strong shoulders," she said. Her husband, Biden declared, will be able to provide "leadership worthy of this nation" and "bring us together and make us whole, carry us forward in our time of need, keep the promise of America for all of us."

She also commended him for his strength during difficult times, like when their son, Beau Biden, died of cancer in 2015. Biden said she "wondered if I would ever smile or feel joy again. It was summer, but there was no warmth left for me." Four days after Beau's funeral, Biden said she "watched Joe shave and put on his suit. I saw him steel himself in the mirror, take a breath, put his shoulders back, and walk out into a world empty of our son. He went back to work. That's just who he is."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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