Celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 11:53 18 Jan 2021 GMT
Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of President-elect Joe Biden, has just announced her first initiative as the First Lady.
Per CNN, the 69-year-old future FLOTUS' first initiative is actually a revival of an earlier one - namely that of Joining Forces, a program that aims to support military personnel, veterans, and their families.
The initiative was originally launched by Dr. Biden back in 2011, in collaboration with former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Furthermore, Dr. Biden stated that she plans on kickstarting the initiative with a listening tour, aimed at establishing what help military personnel and veterans alike need most from their government.
Per a post shared on Twitter by The Hill, Dr. Biden stated in the video address in question:
"We’re going to build on what we learned during the Obama-Biden administration. That’s the promise that I made to you on the campaign trail, that we would relaunch Joining Forces and get to work on day one.
"We will work to open the White House in new, inclusive, and innovative ways, reflecting more fully the distinct beauty of all our communities, cultures, and traditions."
Dr. Biden named Rory Brosius as the new executive director of Joining Forces, as well as several other key hires, which includes Michael La Rosa as her press secretary, and Liz Hart as deputy White House social secretary under Carlos Elizondo.
However, the speed of the Joining Forces relaunch has drawn comparisons from many pundits between Biden's first initiative and Melania Trump's Be Best Project, which was first launched in 2018.
According to the official website of The White House, the mission statement of Melania Trump's program was "encouraging children to BE BEST in their individual paths, while also teaching them the importance of social, emotional, and physical health.
"BE BEST will concentrate on three main pillars: well-being, online safety, and opioid abuse [sic]"
During her last few days living at the White House, 50-year-old Melania took to her official Twitter account to share a message with her 16.4 million followers.
Melania wrote: "As the legacy of #BeBest comes to a close at the @WhiteHouse, we must continue to give a voice to our Nation's children & the issues that impact their lives.
"It's the values & spirit of the American people that inspired Be Best & it's those values that will carry on its mission."
This message comes not long after the First Lady was lambasted for her seemingly-lackluster response to the recent Capitol riots, with many critics accusing her husband Donald Trump of being the instigator of the riots in the first place.
