Jill Biden has been a loyal supporter of her husband throughout his political career, but she wasn't quick to say "yes" when he proposed to her.
The couple met a few years after Biden's first wife, Neilia, and baby daughter Naomi died in a tragic car accident. Jill Biden was a college student when she was introduced to the young senator Biden by his brother, Frank.
It took some convincing for Jill Biden to accept Joe Biden's proposal, as she would later recall. A free-spirited young woman, Jill - who was recently divorced - was reluctant to sacrifice her career ambitions by becoming a politician's wife.
"Being Joe's wife would mean a life in the spotlight that I had never wanted," she wrote in her 2019 memoir. "I was a college student when we'd first met, and I liked living under the radar. Joe lived with constant public visibility."
Eventually, after five proposals, the couple married in 1977 at the Chapel at the United Nations in New York. With time, whatever doubts Jill had about marrying a politician faded away as she took on the role of an adviser.
When Democrats tried to convince Biden to challenge George W. Bush in 2004, Jill made her feelings known.
"As I walked through the kitchen, a Sharpie caught my eye. I drew NO on my stomach in big letters, and marched through the room in my bikini. Needless to say, they got the message," she recalled.
Jill Biden fell under greater scrutiny throughout her husband's presidency, with some labeling her a shadow president as Joe Biden frequently showed signs of cognitive decline.
In a notorious moment last summer, Jill complimented her husband for knowing "all the facts" after a televised debate against Donald Trump. But Democrats, horrified by Biden's feeble debate performance, turned on him and began pushing for Biden to end his re-election campaign.
As pressure mounted on Biden to quit, Jill was vehemently opposed, telling Vogue that the family would not allow a single night to define Joe's entire presidency. But in the end, Biden gave in to the pressure and bowed out.
In an exit interview with the Washington Post, Jill expressed "disappointment" in Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.), a longtime friend of the family who led the successful effort to force Biden off the ticket.
“I don’t know. I learned a lot about human nature,” Jill said, adding, “I think that’s all I’m going to say.”
