Inside Jill Biden's political rise amid her husband's cognitive decline: Book
Authors Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson described former first lady as 'one of the chief deniers' of former President Joe Biden's 'deterioration'
By Deirdre Heavey Fox News
Former President Joe Biden's inner circle considers first lady Jill Biden one of the most powerful first ladies in history, CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson reveal in their new book, "Original Sin."
Jill Biden, who has a doctoral degree in education and whom White House staffers called "Dr. B" for short, was a reluctant political spouse in the early days of her husband's career. During his presidential campaigns and into his presidency, the first lady became his staunchest defender and a "political partner in addition to a spouse," Thompson and Tapper wrote.
"Dr. B was a strong, protective force in the White House. She was also, without question, one of the chief supporters of the president's decision to run for reelection, and one of the chief deniers of his deterioration," the authors wrote.
President Donald Trump's White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that Jill Biden should have to answer for her complicity in the "cover-up" of Biden's cognitive decline.
Leavitt pointed to how Jill Biden jumped in to defend her husband during their joint interview on "The View" this month as evidence the former first lady is still covering for her husband.
As Biden's sister, Valerie "Val" Biden Owens, and his adult children, Hunter Biden and Ashley Biden, stayed away from Biden's 2020 presidential campaign, Jill Biden took on a more prominent role, the book revealed.
"She weighed in on potential hires and reviewed many of the campaign ads before they were aired. She campaigned hard and peppered aides with questions about how many reporters would be at her events," Tapper and Thompson said.
Jill Biden sat for job interviews for White House aide candidates, and she "kept score" of which staffers were most loyal, with the help of her most trusted aide, Anthony Bernal, the book revealed.
The White House began referring to Jill Biden's "spousal programming" events on foreign trips, and her team would request talking points, which Tapper and Thompson said some national security officials found strange.
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