A new book reveals how First Lady Jill Biden’s political influence expanded significantly during the final stages of her husband’s presidency, with allegations that she wielded considerable power behind the scenes while President Joe Biden faced mounting questions about his cognitive abilities.
The book “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,” released Tuesday, July 8, by journalists Josh Dawsey of The Wall Street Journal (formerly of the Washington Post), Tyler Pager of The New York Times (previously of the Washington Post), and Isaac Arnsdorf of The Washington Post, details the influential role Jill Biden played in her husband’s administration as his political career concluded.
According to the New York Post, the book states that Jill Biden’s rise to political prominence coincided with her husband’s apparent declining cognition, particularly following his consequential disastrous debate performance in June 2024. The authors document that the First Lady told donors after the President’s debate that “He’s the only person for the job.”
Central to Jill Biden’s expanding influence was Anthony Bernal, her chief of staff and senior advisor who also served as an assistant to the President. According to the book, Bernal became loyal to the First Lady and used his proximity to her to exert power throughout the administration. The authors noted that it was often unclear whether opinions Bernal expressed were his own or those of the First Lady, and that he would sometimes jump in to answer questions posed to her by donors or voters.
Bernal’s influence became a subject of congressional scrutiny when he was subpoenaed to testify on July 16 after refusing to appear before a House committee investigating the alleged cover-up of Biden’s mental decline.
The book reveals tensions within the administration, particularly between Bernal and veteran Democratic political strategist Anita Dunn. The authors note that Bernal accused Dunn of lacking loyalty because she advocated for greater openness regarding the Biden family, which underscores the internal disputes about managing delicate issues.
One area where Jill Biden’s independent decision-making became apparent was her extensive attendance at Hunter Biden’s federal trial in June 2024. The book documents how the First Lady implemented what the authors described as a near-total ban on discussing Hunter Biden, even as his federal trial coincided with his father’s re-election campaign.
Jill Biden attended the first three days of the trial, then flew to France to join the President at the D-Day commemoration before returning to Wilmington less than 24 hours later for the fifth day of proceedings. The book indicates that West Wing staffers were surprised by her attendance, with most senior aides having no knowledge of the First Lady’s plans to attend, demonstrating her willingness to act independently of the White House staff.
The book’s revelations come amid broader scrutiny of the Biden administration’s handling of the President’s age and cognitive abilities. Congressional investigations have been launched to examine allegations of a cover-up regarding Biden’s mental state, with nine former senior White House officials expected to testify in the coming weeks.
Additional details from the book highlight the administration’s alleged attempts to control information flow and protect the President from media scrutiny. In one instance documented by co-author Tyler Pager, Biden’s team scrambled to change the President’s personal phone number after Pager reached him directly for an interview in March. The incident resulted in Biden aides blocking Pager’s number and disconnecting the President’s phone line within two days.
During that brief phone conversation, Biden indicated he had a very negative view of his successor’s second term and did not see anything productive in the new administration’s actions. When asked about regrets regarding dropping out of the 2024 race, Biden stated he did not spend time on regrets before ending the call to catch a train.
The book represents the latest in a series of publications examining the 2024 election and Biden presidency. Other recent works include “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, and “Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House” by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes.
The allegations detailed in “2024” contribute to ongoing discussions about the inner workings of the Biden administration and raise questions about the extent of influence wielded by unelected officials during the final months of the presidency. The book’s documentation of Jill Biden’s expanding role provides insight into the power dynamics within the administration as it faced mounting political challenges.
