First lady Dr. Jill Biden to lead US delegation to the Paris Olympics

First lady Dr. Jill Biden will lead the US delegation to the Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris later this month, the White House announced Friday, cheering on America’s athletes on behalf of the Biden administration.

The opening ceremony is on July 26. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will lead the delegation to the closing ceremony on August 11, the White House said in a statement. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra will lead delegations to the Paralympic Games opening and closing ceremonies, respectively, later in August.

Biden is also expected to attend some Olympics events during her trip to Paris, a White House official said.

Her attendance comes at a pivotal moment for her husband’s candidacy, as a growing number of Democrats have called on the president to step aside. Jill Biden remains the president’s closest adviser and fiercest protector, wielding influence in the White House and campaign. She has been an active surrogate on the campaign trail, criss-crossing the country on his behalf as she works to bolster his support with key coalitions.

The first lady previously led the US delegation to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, which were rescheduled to the summer of 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, Biden provided a dose of normalcy to an otherwise highly unusual Olympics rife with Covid restrictions, including mask mandates and virtually empty stadiums.

Decked in Team USA apparel, Biden was seen cheering, clapping, and at times agonizing over the games, a cheerleader mom stand-in for the American athletes whose parents could not be there in person. She also offered encouragement to Team USA in a Zoom pep rally.

Months later, the US did not send an official delegation to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, a diplomatic boycott due to human rights abuses in China.

Biden previously attended the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games as then-second lady.

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