First Lady Jill Biden initiated her fundraising endeavors in January, deeming it “early” to preempt that “feeling of despair” which she felt the morning after the 2016 presidential election.At a private gathering for the Biden Victory Fund in Houston on Saturday evening, the First Lady addressed attendees at a dinner hosted by Ellen Susman.
“I want you to remember how you felt in 2016, the morning after the election, when you all said to yourself, ‘Oh, my God, what just happened?’ Right. I’m taking you back. So, we cannot let that happen again. And that’s why I’m asking you to, you know, think about if you’re committed,” Biden said.
Speaking to a group of twenty two guests, many of whom were acquainted with the Bidens, gathered around the dining table, the First Lady addressed Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who had welcomed her at the airport earlier that day. Biden’s speech, lasting approximately eleven minutes, commenced with reflections on her enduring friendship with Susman, forged during the campaign trail amid the pandemic. She then transitioned into her remarks concerning the re-election of President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election.
I am committed to a democracy.
Jill Biden
Biden mentioned the recent Senate border negotiations on a bill that President Biden supports.
“You see what happened today with the border, and now Trump is trying to do everything he can to make Joe look bad, you know, even at the lives — sacrificing lives of so many people just for his own political gain,” Biden said.
“I know it’s early to start, but I want you to sort of think after you leave tonight that yes, I am committed to a democracy. And yes, I’m going to fight as hard as I can and not let anything like 2016 happen again.”
Former President Donald Trump posted on social media that he did not support the bill.
“I do not think we should do a Border Deal, at all, unless we get EVERYTHING needed to shut down the INVASION of Millions & Millions of people, many from parts unknown, into our once great, but soon to be great again, Country!”, former President Trump wrote.
In another post made on Truth Social, Trump continued to show his disagreement to the proposed border bill.
“A BAD BORDER DEAL IS FAR WORSE THAN NO BORDER DEAL!” Trump wrote.
Jill Biden: I can’t believe that mainstream Republicans really want what the MAGA extremists want
Jill Biden urged the guests to contemplate their strategies for supporting the upcoming election and expressed gratitude for their backing, regardless of their party affiliation. She emphasized that although it might appear improbable for Biden not to be re-elected, they must remain prepared for any eventuality.
“I can’t believe that mainstream Republicans really want what the MAGA extremists want, either. It’s hard for me to believe that they, you know, they want to tear apart the fabric of our country.”
To close her speech, Biden quoted historian and author Heather Cox Richardson about a recent column she had written Martin Luther King Jr. A line that had resonated with the first lady was “that there are no heroes left”. Biden proceeded to ask the guests to think of their heroes, and recited a quote from King.
“He said, ‘I know that this country is in trouble. I know this nation is sick,’” Biden said. “So he said, ‘Only through the darkness can you see the stars.'”
“I thought that that really was a reflection of what we have today. Like we are sort of wading through this darkness I think of all the things that are going on with the division in our country. But you know, I think in November, we’re gonna look up. We’re gonna see those stars. And we’re going to know who our heroes are.”
READ ALSO
Trump’s Day in Office: October 26, 2026
8:00 AM The president participates in executive time. 11:00 AM The president participates in a policy meeting. 11:45 AM The president participates in a policy meeting. 12:30 PM The president participates in a policy meeting. 1:30 PM The president meets with the U.S. ambassador to France and Monaco. Time not specifiedThe president departs the White House for Corinth, Mississippi. Central Daylight Time (CDT) Time not specifiedThe president arrives in Corinth, Mississippi. 6:00 PM The president delivers remarks. Time not specifiedThe president departs Corinth, Mississippi, for the White House.
Keep reading
EXCLUSIVE: State Department Looks to Expand Partnership With Serbia’s Newly Elected Parliament
The State Department said Monday it has seen the preliminary Serbia election results, including former President Aleksandar Vucic’s concession, a spokesperson told The Pavlovic Today exclusively. “We welcome the Serbian people’s participation in their parliamentary elections,” the spokesperson said. “We have seen the preliminary results, including former President Vucic’s concession.” The State Department also signaled that Washington…
Keep reading
Vucic Concedes Defeat in Serbia Election as Student-Backed Movement Wins Parliamentary Majority
BELGRADE, Serbia (THE PAVLOVIC TODAY) — In a historic political upset that could end more than a decade of rule by his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), former Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat Sunday evening to a student-backed movement that emerged from nearly two years of nationwide anti-government protests. Acknowledging the scale of the defeat, Vucic…
Keep reading
Melania Trump Brokers Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire in Oleshky
First lady Melania Trump helped broker a temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the devastated Ukrainian city of Oleshky, an unusual diplomatic intervention by an American first lady in Russia’s nearly five-year full-scale war in Ukraine. The localized ceasefire is scheduled to take effect Oct. 29 and will allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians…
Keep reading
Corey Lewandowski and the Pardon That Waits
In Washington, everyone pretends to be bipartisan until the doors close and someone utters the magic words: “This is OFF THE RECORD.” This week, I found myself in a room full of powerful people representing some of America’s biggest companies, all exchanging the usual diplomatic pleasantries. Everyone was terribly polite. Careful not to offend anyone…
Keep reading
Alina Habba’s $50 Million Deal and the Case for Saying No
There comes a moment in the life of a nation when the most important word in its political vocabulary is also the shortest. No. The Greeks have a rather magnificent word for it: Oxi. On Oct. 28, 1940, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini presented Greece with an ultimatum: Submit to the occupation of strategic positions by Italian…
Keep reading
Trump’s Day in Office: October 20, 2026
8:00 a.m. President Trump participates in executive time at the White House. 10:00 a.m. President Trump participates in a policy meeting at the White House. 12:30 p.m. President Trump participates in a policy meeting in the Oval Office. 1:30 p.m. President Trump and Vice President JD Vance make an announcement. 3:00 p.m. President Trump participates in a policy meeting in the Oval Office. 4:30 p.m. President Trump participates in signing time in the Oval Office. 7:00 p.m. President Trump delivers remarks in Greenville, North Carolina.
Keep reading
Trump’s Day in Office: October 19, 2026
8:45 AM: In-town pool call time 11:00 AM: President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump sign an executive orderRose Garden · Pre-credentialed media 12:30 PM: President Trump participates in a policy meetingOval Office · Closed press 2:00 PM: President Trump participates in a policy meetingOval Office · Closed press 2:05 PM: Out-of-town travel pool call time Time TBA: President Trump departs…
Keep reading
Katie Zacharia Out as White House Press Secretary
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is out after less than a week on the job, following mounting scrutiny of her professional credentials, criticism of her first press briefing and reported tensions within the White House press operation. “The news has been so nasty to her. I’ve never seen anything like it actually,” Trump told…
Keep reading
Trump’s Day in Office: October 16, 2026
President Donald Trump will begin his Friday at the White House before traveling to Dalton, Georgia, where he is scheduled to deliver remarks. He will then head to Palm Beach, Florida, for an evening event with the Republican National Committee (RNC). 8:00 a.m. President Trump participates in executive time at the White House. 10:00 a.m. President Trump receives his intelligence briefing at the White House. 2:45 p.m. President Trump delivers remarks at Dalton Municipal Airport in Georgia. 7:30 p.m. President Trump participates in an RNC event in Palm Beach, Florida. All times are Eastern.
Keep readingTrump’s Inner Circle Brings Its Own Explosives
In Trump’s world, even revenge needs an audience. And what a week it has been! The scandals. The leaks. The spectacle of Trump’s inner circle turning on one another. It is beginning to look rather like the first Trump term all over again. In the Royal Court of MAGA, everyone has a history, everyone has…
Keep reading
Why Elon Musk Is Spending Millions to Defend Texas Republicans
Why does a Republican Party that has dominated Texas politics for decades need the world’s richest man to spend so much money defending its hold on the state? That is the question hanging over the extraordinary sums now pouring into the Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico. Texas has long been…
Keep reading
Trump’s Day in Office: October 15, 2026
8 a.m. President Trump participates in executive time at the White House. Closed to the press. 12:30 p.m. President Trump attends a lunch in the Rose Garden. Closed to the press. 2:30 p.m. President Trump participates in a policy meeting in the Oval Office. Closed to the press. 4 p.m. President Trump participates in a prerecorded interview at the White House. Closed to the press. 6 p.m. President Trump participates in a telephone rally from the Oval Office. Closed to the press. 6:30 p.m. President Trump participates in a second telephone rally.
Keep reading