The latest episode of “As the Biden Administration Turns” unfolded with the president convening a Cabinet meeting for the first time in what feels like the same amount of time it takes to train a cat to fetch. After a mere eleven months of radio silence, the White House finally dusted off some chairs and called in the Cabinet. Unfortunately for Joe Biden, this meeting quickly transformed into more of a “Let’s Talk to Jill” session, leaving many scratching their heads and asking just who’s in charge in this illustrious administration.
As the often-mumbled remnants of his speech fizzled out, President Biden turned the gavel over to First Lady Jill Biden. In what can only be described as an eerie echo of a classroom handoff, Jill took the reins and delivered what felt like a State of the Union address—if the union was made up of classrooms and not an actual nation. With Biden leaving behind a slew of international crises and domestic issues reaching a boiling point, his Cabinet meeting highlighted an alarming trend: while he’s checking in with the family, Jill seems to be the one running the show.
Who is running our country!!?!!? Where is Joe!!?
Americans deserve to know how decisions are being made at the White House and who is making them.Jill Biden sat at the head of the table during the first Cabinet meeting in months pic.twitter.com/qH1Pl0ZhVu
— Pete James Peterson (@PJPNIG) September 20, 2024
Biden, in what might have been intended as a noble moment, declared it was time for a “continuing resolution” to keep the federal government funded. He then noted the imminent conclusion to his term, evoking images of a runner tripping over the finish line. After his brief remarks, he tossed the mic—or rather, the meeting—to his wife, prompting chuckles from those wondering if this was an episode of “The West Wing” or a reality show featuring political figures in a tiff.
In classic Biden fashion, he introduced Jill as having joined the meeting for the first time and hinted at her importance, almost as if she were the newly appointed Secretary of Everything. With her notes emblazoned with her name beneath the presidential seal—because why not?—Jill seized the opportunity to lecture attendees on women’s health initiatives, dwarfing Joe’s contributions like a giant panda in a room of teacup chihuahuas.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris was conspicuously absent—although one has to wonder if anyone was truly paying attention to that. Instead of focusing on the nation’s pressing issues, her time was spent endorsing one of the most contentious platforms in today’s political landscape, all while painting a fantastical portrait of the opposition. Rumor has it she was trying to outdo her own record for ridiculous statements.
With the political landscape shifting rapidly beneath their feet, it seems that the Biden administration may be relying on an unelected “acting first lady” to patch together solutions to crises. The alarming question posed remains: Just what’s happening in the West Wing when the body running the White House is the wife of the allegedly still-acting president, and where does that leave the Vice President? Already, it’s turning into a sitcom the likes of which the country may not have signed up to see.