Jill Biden made the remarks in a post on Instagram, while also sharing a photo of a letter she penned to the American people thanking them as they “continue to inspire us.”
In a caption, the first lady added: “One year ago, we began a journey towards healing together. You continue to inspire us, and we’re working hard for you every day.”
The comments are similar to ones she gave to the Associated Press to mark one year since the Bidens entered the White House.
Reflecting on being the first lady, Jill Biden said she found herself taking on a role that “I didn’t kind of expect, which was like a healing role, because we’ve faced so much as a nation.”
The Bidens entered the White House in 2021 with the country still reeling from the COVID pandemic and following a divisive Donald Trump presidency, which ended with the January 6 attack.
Jill Biden said her visits to victims of natural disasters in Louisville, Colorado and parts of Kentucky in 2021 were “prime examples” of the responsibilities she feels she must embark on as first lady.
“I’ve always said that if I were ever given this platform I would never waste it. Not one day,” she said. “That’s why when I wake every day I think, ‘What can I do today? … What am I doing? Where am I going? What’s the strategy? What’s the plan?’”
When asked by the Associated Press about her plans for 2022, Jill Biden said she will continue to teach and further promote cancer research.
“It’s going to be an exciting year. It’s got to be a better year with the pandemic,” the first lady said. “I mean everybody, I think everybody across this country is saying, ‘C’mon, it’s got to be a better year.’”
In a press conference to mark his one year anniversary as president, Joe Biden said: “It’s been a year of challenges, but it’s also been a year of enormous progress.
“We went from 2 million people being vaccinated at the moment I was sworn in to 210 million Americans being fully vaccinated today.
“We created 6 million new jobs — more jobs in one year than at any time before. Unemployment dropped — the unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent. Child poverty dropped by nearly 40 percent — the biggest drop ever in American history.”
