[As prepared for delivery.]
On another cold winter morning—much like today—I held our family bible and watched my husband take the oath of office.
In that moment, he was the man I fell in love with so many years ago—a father of two boys standing in the wreckage of unthinkable loss, who stitched a broken family back together with grit and grace.
He was the man who took the train home to Delaware every night, because he knew that showing up for the smallest moments can sometimes mean the most.
He was the Senator who learned to get up when he got knocked down and fight even harder for what he knows is right. He was the Vice President whose steadfast counsel helped guide our country through many storms.
That day, he was Joe—and then, suddenly, he became something else, too: The President of the United States.
It felt like Americans across the country were holding their breath in the aftermath of four years of chaos.
But as Joe stood there—shoulders back, eyes shining with fierce optimism—I could see his determination to bring us together, to lead us forward to a better America. And every day since, he has worked to do just that.
Millions of families have been able to send their children back to school and find jobs and catch up on bills.
They've been able to finally take a breath.
We still have a long way to go. Our world faces incredible challenges. But things are so much better.
You were right to put your faith in Joe Biden a year ago. Because in the face of uncertainty, he is unshakeable. Despite deep divides—at home and abroad—he knows how to bring people together…how to rally the world when tyrants reach for power.
He never loses sight of what this is all about: the people he serves.
When Joe goes to bed at night, and when he wakes up in the morning, he thinks about how to make life better for you and your family.
It's just who he is. It's who he's always been.
He will never stop working for you—he will never stop fighting for you.
Thank you.
Jill Biden, Excerpts of Remarks by the First Lady in Superior, Wisconsin Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/354728