While they've spent their entire marriage so far in political office, the presidency has had a different effect on Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden's union.
After more than four decades as wife and husband, their relationship faced a major milestone when Joe, formerly a long-running Delaware senator and later the 47th vice president of the United States, was elected president in November 2020. Since their move to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, life has been expectedly different for this pair, but in a new interview with Vogue, President Biden candidly—and might we add, sweetly—shared just how much has changed.
"I miss her. I'm really proud of her. But it's not like we can just go off like we used to," he told Vogue. "When we were living in Delaware and married, once a month we'd just go up to a local bed-and-breakfast by ourselves, to make sure we had a romantic time to just get away and hang out with each other."
If you're thinking they can still get some quality alone time, it's sounds easier said than done. When his interviewer quipped about scheduling in time together, the commander-in-chief divulged this: "All kidding aside, that's part of the problem. You can't. I'm not complaining. It's part of the deal. But this life prevents it," he explained. "It's just harder."
After all, they are the president and first lady of the United States—their days are simply jam-packed and their schedules can clash. "She's been traveling all over the country," President Biden noted, "And doing major events for me…and for the country. And so I'll find that I'm working on a hell of an important speech and I'm distracted. And then I may not be working on one and I want to go and hang out with her, and she's working on an important speech! Or grading papers."
Still, having just celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary, these two know what it takes to have a thriving marriage and it seems more quality time has made its way on the president's to-do list.
"We have to figure out a way—and I mean this sincerely—to be able to steal time for one another," he told the magazine. "I think that's the deal."
The first lady is in agreement. "Well, it's true because we're both so busy," she told Vogue. "And so we have to, I think, try a little harder to make time for one another."
Dinner counts. "Sometimes we eat on the balcony; last night we ate in the yellow Oval, upstairs," she shared. "It's just part of the day that we set apart, and we still light the candles, still have the conversations, still put the phones away."
Vogue's August 2021 issue hits newsstands on July 20.