AP Interview: Biden ready to run, US first lady says

NAIROBI, Kenya. US First Lady Jill Biden gave one of the clearest indications that President Joe Biden will run for a second term, saying in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press on Friday that there was “almost” nothing left to do but find out the time and place of the announcement.

While Biden has long said he intends to seek re-election, he has yet to make it official, and he is struggling to dispel questions about whether he is too old to continue as president. Biden will be 86 at the end of his second term.

How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it? the first lady said in Nairobi, the second and final stop on her five-day trip to Africa.

She added, “He says he hasn’t finished yet. He didn’t finish what he started. And that’s what’s important.”

Naomi Biden’s granddaughter, who is on the trip, echoed the first lady’s comments after the interview.

“Preach, nana,” she said to Twitter.

The president himself was asked about his wife’s comments just hours later in an interview with ABC News, and laughed when told of her remarks, adding, “God loves her. Look, I meant what I said, I have other things to finish.” before I embark on a full scale campaign.”

Biden aides said the announcement would likely come in April, after the end of the first quarter of fundraising, about the time President Barack Obama officially began his re-election campaign.

The First Lady has long been cited as a key figure in Biden’s orbit as he plans his future.

“Because I’m his wife,” she laughed.

She shrugged off the question of whether she has a decisive vote in the issue of re-election of the president.

“Of course he will listen to me because we are a married couple,” she said. But, she added later, “he makes his own decisions, trust me.”

The wide-ranging interview took place on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Jill Biden recalled her trip to the country last May to meet with the beleaguered country’s first lady, Olena Zelenskaya.

They visited a school that was used to help migrants fleeing the fighting. Some families, according to Jill Biden, hid underground for several weeks before escaping.

“We thought then, how long can this go on? And here we are, a year later,” she said. “And look what the Ukrainian people have done. I mean, they are so strong and resilient and they fight for their country.”

“We all hope that this war will end soon because we see damage, violence, horror on TV every day,” the first lady added. “And we just can’t believe it.

Jill Biden also detailed for the first time her skin cancer diagnosis, which led doctors to remove multiple basal cell lesions in January.

“I thought, oh, it’s just something on the eye, you know,” she said. “But then they said, no, we think it’s basal cell.”

The doctors then checked her breasts, she said, and said, “It’s definitely basal cells.”

“So I’m lucky,” said the first lady. “Trust me, I’m so lucky they caught this, they removed it and I’m healthy.”

Raising awareness of cancer screening has been a cornerstone of her advocacy efforts for years, even before her son Beau died of a brain tumor nearly a decade ago. She often says that the worst three words anyone can hear are “you have cancer.”

When it was her turn to hear it from the doctor, Jill Biden said, “It was a little more difficult than I thought.”

Now, she says, she’s “especially careful” with sunscreen, especially when she’s at the beach, which she called “one of my favorite places in the world.”

Jill Biden is the only first lady to have continued her career in addition to her ceremonial duties teaching writing and English to community college students. At 71, she said she wasn’t ready to think about retirement.

“I know I’ll find out when that’s enough,” she said. “But not yet.”

She said she left detailed lesson plans with a substitute teacher while she was on the trip and corresponded with students while she traveled. She plans to return to class at 8 am on Tuesday after returning home from Africa around 3 am on Monday.

Education has been a hotspot in American politics, especially as conservative activists and politicians have tried to limit discussion of race and sexuality in the classroom.

“I don’t believe in banning books,” she said.

She added, “I think teachers and parents can work together and decide what children should be taught.”

During the interview, Jill Biden reflected on the legacy of former President Jimmy Carter, who recently began home hospice treatment. The Carter Center, which the former president founded after leaving the White House, played a key role in the eradication of dracunculiasis in African countries.

“This is the perfect example,” she said. “He is such a humble person. He didn’t come out and shout, “Look what I did.” He just did the job.”

Jill Biden recalled how Carter and his wife Rosalyn got in touch on the eve of Joe Biden’s inauguration two years ago.

“They called and congratulated,” she said. “And it meant so much to me and Joe.”

She also spoke about visiting the Carters at their Plains, Georgia home early in the Biden presidency.

“It’s not just two presidents. There are two friends here,” she said. “Really four friends who really supported each other over the years.”