President Joe Biden on Friday opened his first cabinet meeting in nearly a year by giving the floor to Dr. Jill Biden.
"We’re grateful, Jill is here today. You heard that clapping, it wasn’t for me," Biden said at the start of the meeting, before handing the floor to his wife to discuss a White House initiative on women’s health research.
"Today, at the top of our meeting, Jill is going to give an update on a House initiative, a White House initiative, fundamentally change the approach and fund, how we approach and fund women’s health services," Biden said, struggling to read off a script. "So I’d like to turn over to Jill for any comments she has. It’s all yours, kid."
Biden called the Friday cabinet meeting, the first in 11 months, to strategize his "sprint to the finish," instructing his team to get "as much work done as possible" in the remaining months of his term, a White House official told CNN.
Securing a ceasefire in Gaza has been one of the Biden-Harris administration’s main objectives, but the administration privately conceded this week that a deal won't happen before the end of Biden's term in January 2025. "No deal is imminent," an official told the Wall Street Journal. "I'm not sure it ever gets done."