NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — U.S. first lady Jill Biden gave one of the clearest indications yet that President Joe Biden will seek a second term, telling The Associated Press in an exclusive interview Friday that there isn’t “quite a lot” left to do. but determine the time and place for the announcement.
Although Biden has long said he wants to run for re-election, he has yet to make it official, and he has struggled to shake off 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 tell you to believe him?” The first lady spoke in Nairobi, the second and last stop of the five-day trip to Africa.
He added, “He said he’s not done. He hasn’t finished what he started. And that’s what’s important.”
Biden aides said an announcement would come in April, after the first fundraising quarter ends, which is when President Barack Obama officially launches his re-election campaign.
The first lady has long been described as a key figure in Biden’s orbit as he plans his future.
“Because I’m his wife,” she laughed.
He declined questions about whether he had the vote to re-elect the president.
“Of course he’ll listen to me, because we’re married,” he said. But, he added later, “he made his own decision, trust me.”
The much-hyped interview comes on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Jill Biden recalls her trip to the country last May to meet with the besieged country’s first lady, Olena Zelenska.
He visited a school used to help migrants fleeing the fighting. Some of his family, Jill Biden said, had been hiding underground for weeks before escaping.
“We then thought, how long can this continue? And here it is, a year later,” he said. “And look at what the Ukrainians are doing. I mean, they’re really strong and resilient, and they’re fighting for their country.
“We all hope that this war will end, because we see, every day, the destruction, the violence, the horror on our television,” the first lady said. “And we just couldn’t believe it.”
Jill Biden also spoke extensively for the first time about her skin cancer diagnosis, which led doctors to remove multiple basal cell lesions in January.
“I thought, oh, it’s just something in my eye, you know,” she said. “But then they said, no, we think it’s basal cells.”
Then the doctor checked her breast, she said, and said “it’s definitely basal cell.”
“So I’m lucky,” said the first lady. “Believe me, I’m very lucky that he was caught, removed, and I’m fine.”
Raising awareness about 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. They often say that the words “you have cancer” contain the three worst words you can hear.
When it was her turn to hear the doctor say, Jill Biden said, “it’s a little harder than I thought.”
Now, she says, she’s “more careful” about sunscreen, especially when she’s at the beach, which she describes as “one of my favorite places in the world.”
Jill Biden is the only first lady to pursue a career outside of ceremonial duties, teaching writing and English to community college students. At 71, he says he’s not ready to think about retirement.
“I know I’ll know when it’s enough,” she said. “But not yet.”
She said she leaves detailed lesson plans for substitute teachers when they travel, and that she has texted students while traveling. He plans to return to class at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, just hours after arriving home from Africa at around 3 a.m.
Education has become a flash point in American politics, especially with conservative activists and politicians trying to limit discussions of race and sexuality in classrooms.
“I don’t believe in banning books,” he said.
He added: “I think teachers and parents can work together and decide what to teach the children.”
Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report from Washington.
EDITOR’S NOTE – Darlene Superville has covered the White House and the first lady since 2009 and is the co-author, with AP Executive Editor Julie Pace, of a 2022 biography of Jill Biden.