Jill Biden is hitting the ground running -- in all directions
(CNN)As far as Jill Biden is concerned, there isn't necessarily going to be one "first lady platform," or even two or three. A month into the job, and Biden has heaped a lot on her agenda, unsure at the moment exactly how it will unfold, only that it will "naturally evolve," she has told her staff.
Unlike her predecessor Melania Trump,
Biden has packed a calendar-full of events, appearances (most virtual)
and interviews, aggressively pursuing policy passion projects, and
maintaining her schedule as a teacher at a northern Virginia community
college.
There
will be areas of focus for Biden, but a branded campaign, a la "Let's
Move!" or "Be Best," isn't on her radar for now, according to two White
House officials. They said the first lady is not concerned about having a
catchy handle, or, not having one.
She
has indicated military families, cancer research, free community
college and education in general are where she wants to continue her
work as first lady, but which noses ahead of the pack isn't of as much
concern. Biden, several people who know her well tell CNN, has for
decades often juggled several important initiatives and jobs and tasks
-- the question now is, with the added responsibilities that come with
the White House, can she succeed?
"I
can't remember a time when she didn't have a full plate," said Courtney
O'Donnell, who served as Biden's communications director when Biden was
second lady, and most recently took leave from her executive position
at AirBnB to be Doug Emhoff's chief of staff on the Biden-Harris
campaign. "For most people, it would be a lot. For her, this is
natural."
Making her mark
Valentine's Day messages decorate the North Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on February 12, 2021.
Last
week, when giant hearts popped up on the White House North Lawn,
promoting care and kindness and unity, the gesture appeared sweet in its
simplicity, but the making of a Valentine's Day message was for Biden
as much a hands-on opportunity to build team morale at the White House
-- and surprise her husband, the President.
Like
so many teachers, Biden has a way, say those who know her, of leading
people to complete one assignment only to come out the other end having
accomplished several other objectives. The surprise hearts were
completed in two days, one official said, and relied on ushers to
stealthily relay messages about what was needed and maintenance workers
to build and paint the hearts.
Biden
herself snuck out of the residence in the evening before they were
placed on the lawn, to sign one and check on progress, not telling
President Joe Biden where she was going or why, so that he would be
surprised when he awoke the next morning.
The
simple gesture, say friends, is demonstrative of Biden's boundless
energy and her personal mission to make people feel good.
"It's
not a busy-ness for the sake of being busy," said O'Donnell. "She is
driven by the knowledge she has in all of the areas and the idea she can
make a difference."
Success for first ladies who have had multiple areas of focus has been on occasion elusive.
"Generally,
first ladies have had more success when they have one singular issue
that they really drill down on. She might decide to triage if her
efforts become scattered," said Kate Andersen Brower, CNN contributor
and author of "First Women: the Grace and Power of America's Modern
First Ladies."
High-profile scrutiny
US First Lady Jill Biden surprises National Guard members outside the Capitol with chocolate chip cookies on January 22, 2021.
Being
the spouse of the President of the United States invites at times
microscopic attention to every single detail or morsel of public life.
For
Hillary Clinton, critics were nonplussed by her desire to tread into
West Wing territory and her role in developing health care policy. For
Michelle Obama, winning over an American public meant, at times,
suppressing her own opinions, she has since said. And for Melania Trump,
weary of losing her mystique, being out of sight -- or mostly silent
when in public -- was often her way of avoiding scrutiny.
"I
think Biden is elegant, but she's less of a clotheshorse and more of a
workhorse," said Brower of the differences between Biden and Trump.
"This first lady is not all about appearances and photo-ops."
Fans
of Trump didn't want her to be "relatable," however, while fans of
Biden like her for being just that. The MAGA base's devotion was rooted
in the aspirational unattainability Trump possessed, displayed with
expensive designer ensembles and emotional stoicism. Praise often came
via descriptors such as "graceful," "poised" and "elegant," not in the
"she's just like us!" manner of familiarity that resonated with
supporters of Michelle Obama and now Jill Biden. Melania Trump, for
example, never turned up at a local bakery with her hair in a scrunchie
to buy cupcakes, as Biden did last week in Washington, DC.
For
most first ladies throughout history, a persona is assigned by the
American people; stepping outside of it is typically a lose-lose
endeavor.
Biden
has demonstrated over the last few weeks that she has hit the ground
running, scattershot or not, spurred on with more urgency, say those who
know her, by the effects of Covid-19 on the country.
Biden is particularly concerned about the pandemic's effect on women, one White House official said.
"She
knows women are feeling hopeless. There's an urgency for her to make
sure they know she sees them," said one official when asked what Biden
finds particularly concerning in her assessment of the pandemic-affected
nation.
Agenda-setting
Biden is doing a lot of events during her first few weeks, Brower said, when compared to her predecessors.
"Part
of that is because of who she is, and the experiences she's had as
second lady and the wife of a senator for almost four decades, and part
of that is because she comes into the White House during a time of
crisis the likes of which we haven't faced since FDR and Lincoln,"
Brower said.
In that vein, Brower likens Biden to Eleanor Roosevelt due to their shared sense of urgency in using their first-lady platform.
Just
two days after Franklin Roosevelt's inauguration, Eleanor held her own
news conference, Brower said, and continued to do so weekly -- a first
lady first.
Biden is also forging her own legacy of "firsts," starting with her refusal to quit her teaching job.
"It's a non-starter," said a friend who has known Biden for many years of any question she should set aside being an educator.
O'Donnell agreed, saying giving up her job was not an option.
"Being a teacher is who she is, more than everything she does," she said of Biden.
The
extra lift is notable. During the grueling months of last summer's
campaign season, Biden still had to do training online to learn how to
teach her classes via Zoom.
"And
she always has her stack of papers," said O'Donnell, noting any
downtime is not used for "downtime," rather for grading work her
students have turned in.
During
her short time in the White House, Biden has so far maintained that
routine, often staying up late to finish reading and reviewing the
assignments she has given to her English classes. Filling every minute
of every day is something Biden noted last month in a video-meeting with
governors' spouses. She relayed that she has no intention of taking
being first lady for granted -- and that she will always be in plain
sight.
"I
made a promise to myself, that even if this wasn't a platform I had
asked for, it was one I would never let go to waste," said Biden
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