VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — First lady Jill Biden met with supporters in Virginia Beach ahead of Thursday night’s presidential debate.
She stopped at a campaign event on Virginia Beach Boulevard around 2:20 p.m. to greet volunteers and supporters of her husband, President Joe Biden. She said she was traveling to Atlanta for the debate and joked that she had to turn off the television because of all the debate talk.
Biden began by talking about the military community, stating that “the Bidens are a military family.”
“My father fought in World War II … and our son Beau went to Iraq for a year in the Delaware Army National Guard, so when I hear Trump calling our military members losers and morons, you know, how dare he? How dare he,” said Biden, who was referring to an account by Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly.
Biden added that the election comes down to two visions of America.
“The vision you have chosen (in supporting President Biden) is one of strong and stable leadership,” Jill Biden told her supporters. “In relation to this other vision, that of chaos and corruption. …(Trump) says he wants to be a dictator from day one and take away a lot of the freedoms we already have.
You can watch the full remarks in the player above.
The first lady spoke to supporters packed into a small room at the Democratic Coordinated Campaign Office. For her supporters, the humidity was a small price to pay for meeting the first lady.
“What the Biden administration has accomplished in such a short period of time is incredible,” said Melissa Lukeson, a Biden supporter. “Truly, he’s had a historic presidency and I really don’t understand why more people don’t understand these changes. I think it’s because it takes a long time for the effects to be felt.”
Many people told 10 On Your Side they admired the First Lady for her work in education and the Biden family for their military service.
“I love what President Biden has done as a veteran of the United States Air Force,” Maurice Hawkins said. “I love how President Biden has reaffirmed our commitment to NATO, our commitment to our allies, the support he’s given to Ukraine, in their fight for democracy around the world.”
Others praised the push for affordable health care.
“Millions of people have been able to get health care because of this,” Sandra Brandt said. “I’ve known several people who have been able to benefit from the Affordable Care Act and it’s saved their lives and their children’s lives.”
The first lady spoke about President Joe Biden’s fight for freedom and democracy, saying the president cares about Americans. She asked her supporters, as they watch the first presidential debate, to listen to President Biden’s words and listen to his heart.
“At the end of the day, it really comes down to who has the wisdom, who has the experience and who has the ability to really lead this country in the right direction, but more than that, we really look at which man has the character,” the first lady said.
The First Lady’s visit not only precedes Thursday’s debate, but also a planned visit to Chesapeake on Friday afternoon by former President Donald Trump, alongside Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Jill and Joe Biden, meanwhile, will be in Raleigh this Friday afternoon to hold a post-debate rally.
President Biden won Virginia in 2020, including Chesapeake, while Trump won North Carolina in 2020. However, both campaigns talked a lot about their optimism about their chances in the states they lostrespectively. Poll however shows that a change of heart by either candidate would be exaggerated.
