While her husband faces tumult, Jill Biden is a protective force

The special counsel's report on President Biden's handling of classified information has raised questions about the president's eligibility to run for re-election.

Within Mr. Biden's inner circle, no one knows how taxing the job can be more than Jill Biden, the first lady. At times, she has tried to shield him from the kind of off-the-cuff interactions with reporters that took place Thursday night, when Mr. Biden deviated from written remarks and began answering questions.

In January 2022, after Mr. Biden held a two-hour news conference, the first lady stopped by to meet with the president and his aides. She asked the group, which included the president, why no one intervened to stop it, according to a person in the room. Where was the person, she asked, who was supposed to end the press conference?

Officials later apologized, according to an account of the episode shared by a person in the room.

“I saw Joe as vice president and how tough that was,” Dr. Biden said in an interview at her beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Del., in the fall of 2022, referring to Mr. Biden’s eight years as vice president president. “But when I see what he does, when I see the table when you get off the elevator and I see this pile of briefing books every night,” she said, holding her two hands apart for emphasis, 'and I see When he reads and writes, that's a lot.”

But she said it was worth it to prevent former President Donald J. Trump from returning to office.

Dr. Biden's influence is palpable in both the White House and the Biden campaign, and there is little doubt among those who know her that protecting her husband and family is one of the first lady's top priorities.

She has been directly involved in hiring members of his press staff and other senior aides, and is present at most of his political meetings. If she doesn't like something, she points it out. Campaign aides and White House officials privately joke that if Dr. Biden is with him at an event, it will definitely end on time. (Mr. Biden is often late otherwise.)

Some people hired by Dr. Biden believe her east wing could be a safe haven from an intense workplace because, as one person close to her put it, no one would dare fire any of her employees.

At least once, she has chided aides who are crafting speeches for Biden that she says are too long-winded: “Do you see these boots?” she said to a former speechwriter, Jeff Nussbaum, pointing to her heels. “Shorter speeches!”

She was playful when she said it, Mr. Nussbaum recalled in an interview, but he said he knew better than to dismiss her criticism as a joke.

When asked about her reputation for bluntly pointing out when she felt an advisor had made a mistake when it came to her husband, she answered a question with a question.

“I don't think it's a bad thing,” she asked. “Will you?”