Jill Biden tells donors Joe’s presidency is paralyzed by crises

First Lady Jill Biden told donors her husband’s political agenda has been sidetracked by unexpected crises at home and abroad.

Biden, 71, made the remarks during a private fundraiser hosted by the Democratic National Committee in Nantucket, Massachusetts, as President Joe Biden wrapped up his four-day trip to the Middle East, according to CNN.

Her comments came after pollsters recently found that most Democrats don’t want the president to seek a second term. His approval rating was a dismal 33%, and just 13% of Americans thought the country was heading in the right direction, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released Monday.

“[The President] had so many hopes and plans for things he wanted to do, but every time you turned around he had to address the issues of the moment,” the first lady reportedly told about two dozen people at a private home.

Jill Biden cited gun violence, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the reversal of the Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court and rejection of signature legislation within his own party.

“He’s just had so many things thrown at him,” she reportedly said. “Who would have ever thought what happened [with the Supreme Court overturning] Deer vs calf? Well, maybe we saw it coming, but we still didn’t believe it. Gun violence in this country is absolutely appalling. We didn’t see the war coming in Ukraine.”

Setbacks at home and abroad have also curtailed their own agenda, Biden said, according to the broadcaster.

“I said to myself, ‘Okay, I was second lady. I worked at community colleges. I worked on military families. I’ve been working on cancer.’ They should be my focus. But then when we came [in the White House,] I had to be the first lady of the moment in everything that happened.”

It was the second fundraiser Biden attended during a three-day trip to the Bay State. On Thursday, she reportedly spoke to donors at a private event in Andover.