First lady Jill Biden spoke at a private Democratic National Committee fundraiser Saturday, discussing the challenges her husband has faced.
Biden made the comments at the fundraiser in Nantucket, Mass., as President Joe Biden finished his four-day trip to the Middle East.
“[The President] had so many hopes and plans for things he wanted to do, but every time you turned around, he had to address the problems of the moment,” said the First Lady, reported CNN.
According to a New York Times and Siena College poll released Monday, Biden’s approval rating was a 33%.
Jill Biden mentioned gun violence, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade and opposition to legislation as some of the problems with which her husband has been met.
“He’s just had so many things thrown his way,” she reportedly said. “Who would have ever thought about what happened [with the Supreme Court overturning] Roe v. Wade?”
“Well, maybe we saw it coming, but still we didn’t believe it. The gun violence in this country is absolutely appalling. We didn’t see the war in Ukraine coming,” she added.
The First Lady also revealed that she faces her own challenges in her position. “I was saying to myself, ‘Okay, I was second lady. I worked on community colleges. I worked on military families. I’ve worked on cancer,'” she said.
“They were supposed to be my areas of focus. But then when we got [in the White House,] I had to be, with all that was happening, the first lady of the moment,” Biden continued.
She expressed her frustration about the overturning last month of Roe v. Wade, saying she told her family members they should think about doing more than protesting, reported CNN.
“So many young girls, my own grandchildren included, went up to the Supreme Court and marched. I say, ‘Okay, good for you. But what are you going to do next? You feel good about yourself because you voiced your opinion but what are you going to do next? What is your plan?'” she recalled.
