Book: Jill Biden Gained Political Power As Joe Biden Faded

First Lady Jill Biden’s political ascent has paralleled the decline of her husband’s career, according to a new book chronicling how President Joe Biden lost the White House.

A year after his pivotal debate performance, the nation’s first octogenarian president continues to face mounting scrutiny, with congressional investigations and newly released books highlighting concerns over his alleged cognitive decline.

“2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America” is the latest to tackle the inner workings of the Biden administration.

Released Tuesday, the book by journalists Josh Dawsey (The Wall Street Journal), Tyler Pager (The New York Times), and Isaac Arnsdorf (The Washington Post) delves into Jill Biden’s influential role within her husband’s administration.

As Jill Biden’s political influence grew, so did that of Anthony Bernal—her chief of staff, senior advisor, and assistant to the president, the New York Post reported, citing the book’s claims.

Bernal was subpoenaed to testify on July 16 after refusing to appear before the committee investigating the alleged cover-up of President Biden’s mental decline, with the panel arguing that executive privilege did not apply to him.

According to the book, Bernal accused longtime Democratic strategist Anita Dunn—who held senior roles in both the Biden and Obama administrations—of disloyalty for advocating greater transparency around the Biden family.

The authors also reveal that there was a “near-total ban” on discussions regarding Hunter Biden, particularly as his federal trial unfolded in June 2024, right in the middle of his father’s re-election campaign.

Jill Biden, often accompanied by Bernal, went to extraordinary lengths to attend Hunter Biden’s federal trial—frequently making long trips back from overseas travel or campaign stops.

She was present for the first three days of the trial, then flew to France to join President Biden for the D-Day commemoration, only to return to Wilmington less than 24 hours later for the trial’s fifth day, The Post reported.

As detailed in 2024, West Wing staffers were caught off guard by her appearance, with many senior aides unaware she even planned to attend, highlighting her willingness to operate independently of the official White House machinery.

Still, while the first lady asserted her autonomy, Bernal remained firmly by her side, continuing to lead the East Wing.

“He quickly bonded with Jill Biden and never left her side, becoming unflinchingly loyal to her and using his proximity to her to exert power wherever he decided. It was often unclear if the opinion he was expressing was his own or the first lady’s. Sometimes, when donors or voters asked her questions, Bernal would jump in to answer,” the authors said.

Just as Jill Biden fiercely defended Hunter during his high-profile trial, she emerged as President Biden’s most loyal defender in the aftermath of his disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump.

“Joe isn’t just the right person for the job,” Jill said at a fundraiser soon after the debate. “He’s the only person for the job.”

The book alleges that Jill Biden had always played the “role of the protective spouse, encouraging the president to eat vegetables, keeping him on time, and questioning staffers when she felt they erred.”

In one instance detailed in the book, a Biden aide apologized to the first lady in January 2022 after she criticized them for allowing a press conference to run too long.

As Joe Biden struggled to try and defend his horrid debate performance as donors and Democratic politicians grew increasingly leery, and “her husband in the fight of his political life, Jill was making clear: The Democratic Party had to stick with Joe,” the authors wrote.

“The president was not entertaining the idea of dropping out of the race; he was taking stock of how bad things really were,” the authors said of Biden’s trip to Camp David after the debate.

The authors describe how dropping out of the race “was not even a consideration” during the Biden family’s gathering.