Jill Biden admits husband Joe made ‘right call’ by exiting presidential race

Jill Biden acknowledged on Monday that her husband, Joe Biden, made “the right call” by stepping down from his run for re-election as president.

In a candid interview on Good Morning America, the first lady spoke openly about her feelings as her family’s time in the White House comes to an end.

“I’ve had such a great four years,” she said to ABC News’s Deborah Roberts. “I mean really it has been the honor of our lives. It’ll be tough to maybe step away from it, but we’re starting a new chapter of our lives. A new journey.”

She added: “It’s time for something new. It was the right call.”

Jill Biden’s remarks were the first addressing her 81-year-old husband’s decision to drop out of the 5 November presidential election amid concerns about his age. That made way for Kamala Harris, 60, to run against Donald Trump, 78, who is seeking a return to the White House after losing the presidency to Biden in 2020.

In Monday’s interview, Jill Biden described herself as excited about the potential for a Harris presidency.

“There’s a lot of energy out there,” she said. “Kamala Harris is going to win this, and it’s going to be just another chapter for the White House.”

Harris’s campaign has raised a record-breaking $1bn since entering the race. But polling averages show Harris and Trump are essentially deadlocked as election day approaches.

Jill Biden on Monday also discussed her having revamped the public tours offered by the White House.

The updated tour aims to provide a more “immersive” experience complete with 3D renderings, touchable artifacts and interactive displays of the building’s rich history. She said her career as a college English professor with 40 years of experience as an educator influenced the interactive elements of the new design.

“Being an educator, I walked these halls every day, and I thought to myself: ‘You know, we need something that’s more vibrant and comes alive,’” Jill Biden said to ABC.

“It’s important to me that people learn about the White House, about the presidency.”

Jill Biden said that the new tour aims to provide something for all learners, whether “visual”, “auditory” or “tactile”.

“We’ve tried to address that all throughout the tour – that if you have one strength or another, that’s how you learn,” Jill Biden told ABC.

The tour upgrades were carried out in collaboration with the History Channel and the National Park Service. They are now open to the public.