In Greenville, Jill Biden tells North Carolinians her husband fights for them
Former Second Lady Jill Biden campaigned for her husband at Pitt Community College in Winterville on Tuesday, encouraging people to vote.
Biden told a crowd of supporters that she’s hearing from Americans that 2020 has made them feel like failures.
She said they’re having trouble balancing working from home and being parents. They worry about sending their children to school. And they worry about what will happen to their jobs.
But what resonated the most with Biden was a question from a school counselor: “How do I tell my kids to be kind when our leaders do not live up to the same standard?”
She said she understands the magnitude of what’s happening in the United States.
“Still, we keep going,” Jill Biden said. “We keep helping our neighbors and showing up for each other. We keep hoping for something better.”
And that something, to Jill Biden, is her husband.
The Bidens have had a long history of loss, from Joe Biden’s first wife and daughter to his son Beau.
“Four days after our son died, I saw (Joe) steel himself for a moment in the mirror, take a deep breath, put his shoulders back and walk into a world empty of our son,” Jill Biden said.
“And there were so many times I couldn’t imagine how he did it.”
But Biden said her husband walked back into work because of people struggling to pay for medical care, earn college degrees and more.
“He does it for you,” Biden said. “Joe has spent his entire career listening, and bringing people together. He will be a president for all Americans.”
Biden talked outside of the auditorium at Pitt Community College. She works at Northern Virginia Community College, known locally as NOVA, and said community colleges are dear to her heart.
She mentioned her husband’s plan to allow college students to attend two years of community college without accumulating debt.
Most students at Pitt Community College couldn’t attend Tuesday’s event. It wasn’t open to the public.
Instead Jill Biden spoke to handpicked guests with dignitaries that included former Gov. Jim Hunt, U.S. Rep. G. K. Butterfield, and state Sens. Don Davis and Natalie Murdock.
Socially distanced crowd
Chairs were spaced out to allow for social distancing with pumpkins on each and a mum lining one of the rows.
Music played to pump up the crowd of less than 50.
Jill Biden’s event came one week after a contentious debate between her husband and President Donald Trump, who would later test positive with COVID-19.
The debate included sniping, interrupting and even attacks on the Biden family.
Trump brought up that Joe Biden’s son Hunter had suffered from a drug addiction. The former vice president confirmed that, but added that so do many of the people he wants to represent.
Trump was hospitalized in Maryland from Friday to Monday evening.
The Bidens both tested negative for the deadly virus.
Joe Biden recently campaigned in Charlotte and vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris campaigned in Raleigh. Tuesday’s event was the first time they or their spouses have been in Eastern North Carolina during the general election campaign.
Trump has been a frequent presence in the swing state.
“Parachuting surrogates into North Carolina at the last minute isn’t a winning strategy, and Joe Biden will learn that the hard way in 28 days,” Trump campaign spokesman Gates McGavick said in a statement. “Our around-the-clock field efforts combined with President Trump’s pro-growth, pro-America message will keep North Carolina red come November 3rd.”
Trump’s campaign is scheduled to have events this week in Monroe and Whitsett that Eric Trump will attend on behalf of his father.
Eric Trump has tested negative for the virus.
This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 12:03 PM.