Jill Biden is at the Tokyo Olympics. Joe Biden is not. He’s stumping with the Democrat candidate for governor in Virginia and joking (kinda) that the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga “made it real clear” that he wanted Jill Biden, not him, in Tokyo. Joe thinks this kind of banter makes him look humble. Whatever. This is her first solo overseas trip since moving into the White House. Apparently, there are a lot of wardrobe changes.

‘Jill wanted to be here tonight, but if you turn on the Olympics and watch Team USA you’ll see Jill Biden standing there,’ Biden said at a campaign rally for Virginia gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe. ‘The Japanese prime minister, who I invited as the first person to come to the White House as a head of state, he made it real clear, he didn’t want me, he wanted her to go.’

En route to Japan, Jill stopped off in Anchorage, Alaska and appeared at the Alaska Native Health Tribal Health Consortium. The reason stated was so that she could speak about the COVID-19 vaccines. It turns out, though, according to news reports, the villages there almost all have 100% vaccination rates. A more honest reason for the visit would probably be because it was an opportunity to show a visit with native Americans.

Biden and the Tokyo embassy’s new Charge d’Affaires ad interim Raymond Greene were the only two Americans who attended Friday night’s opening ceremony as part of Biden’s delegation. She’s been speaking with athletes virtually.

Loved chatting with one of our #OpeningCeremony’s flag bearers, Sue Bird! @S10Bird, you and all of @TeamUSA carry our nation’s pride and our hearts with you. pic.twitter.com/wk8GfVSkDZ

— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) July 24, 2021

Sue Bird is engaged to soccer player Megan Rapinoe.

She hosted a watch party for embassy staff at the Tokyo ambassador’s residence today. It was a thank you, of sorts, for helping set up her trip. She watched part of a women’s softball game between Team USA and Mexico. Then she left to watch swimming, women’s basketball, and soccer.

‘I know how much goes into visits like these, especially with COVID,’ she told about 50 foreign service workers gathered to watch the Team USA versus Mexico women’s softball game on a big-screen TV. ‘I mean, I feel so terrible that we can’t offer you food – and a glass of wine – but they said, no, no one will be taking off their masks.’

The event followed strict COVID protocols, with attendees wearing masks – some decorated with American flags – and seats of two spread about six feet apart.

She then got serious – and spoke about how what they do as American diplomats matters.

‘This job can be challenging in the best of times,’ she said. ‘In the past few years we can see how fragile diplomacy can be.’

She thanked them for keeping the US-Japan alliance strong.

‘And you kept your commitments even as the world struggles through a global pandemic. And it hasn’t been easy,’ she said. ‘And that’s true for the family members, who have picked up their lives – so many of you have picked up your lives and moved across the world alongside of you.’

‘And guess what – I understand that,’ she added, an acknowledgment of her own move to the White House.

She boasted that, ‘America is leading the world once again because you all, you all are forging the way.’

‘We’re going to show the world what the United States can achieve when we are guided by heart and hope and diplomacy,’ she said. ‘Or as my husband has said, we lead by the power of our example, not the example of our power.’

Jill delivered her remarks maskless, though, and Raymond Greene stood behind her, also without a mask. Both masked up when they sat down to watch the game. Biden wasn’t ballsy enough to trash Trump by name to the diplomatic staff but she made her message clear – Swamp people are back in charge and international apology tours are back. “American is leading the world once again…”. What a slap in the face to diplomats and other officials who were on the job for the previous four years. They can say what they want but Trump’s style with other countries was his form of leadership – American first – and there was no doubt as to who was calling the shots in his dealings with other countries. Foreign leaders disdain America under normal circumstances so when someone from the business world stands up and says he’s going to make deals favorable to his own country, as is his job, there was no chance that he’d be a member of the cool crowd. As far as “keeping the alliance strong” between Japan and the U.S., perhaps she’s forgotten that Trump and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formed a strong working alliance. The personal friendship they forged was reported on often.

Earlier today, she appeared at a ceremony to dedicate a room in the home to the late Irene Hirano Inouye and Sen. Daniel Inouye. She changed into an Olympics-style outfit before hosting the watch party and to wear while supporting Team USA today. “She appeared in front of the crowd wearing the official Team USA Ralph Lauren blazer, the American flag top, and the jeans that say ‘USA’ down one leg. She also wore white sneakers with blue and red stripes to complete the patriotic get-up.”

When Jill headed off to watch the Olympics after her watch party, she watched Team USA versus France’s women’s 3×3 basketball. She was spotted saying hello to French President Emmanual Macron. The US won 17 to 10.

17-10 Win! So proud of you @usab3x3! #Olympics https://t.co/81S8uFfBpr

— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) July 24, 2021

She also watched swimming and Team USA’s soccer game. The USA swimming team hearts her.

Back at you @USASwimming! 
 
U-S-Swimming 👏👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/sGn9NrkSWx

— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) July 24, 2021

YES! For the win! ⚽️💪
 
Go @USWNT! Hope you could hear me up here! pic.twitter.com/NnMSCWtb4z

— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) July 24, 2021

Jill received some fawning remarks from Olympic swimmer Allison Schmitt. “You’re a Dr. Jill Biden.” Schmitt knows that Jill’s not a medical doctor, right? She’s an English teacher.

She then spoke to Allison Schmitt, a four-time Olympic swimmer and mental health advocate. ‘I think it’s an even bigger honor that you’re not just FLOTUS, but you’re a Dr. Jill Biden,’ Schmitt said.

‘I’m so looking forward to watching you compete and as a teacher I think what you’re doing is so important in that area of mental health because I know that a lot of students as they return back to school this fall are going to need a little help,’ Biden said.

Schmitt said she’s currently working on her master’s.

‘Go for the doctorate,’ Biden encouraged.

Jill Biden was well into her 50s before she completed her doctorate.

While Jill told the athletes that they were “more than our cities or states or backgrounds” and ‘We are more than our jobs or are political parties,’ her words say otherwise. Taking digs at the previous administration to professional diplomats and their staff overseas is political hackery. This is no better than Joe trashing Trump Friday in Virginia as he campaigned for McAullife. President Unity and his wife still have Trump living rent-free in their heads.

Meanwhile, the White House was lit up to honor the start of the Olympics Friday night.

Meanwhile, back in DC! #TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/dwlxXehZqL

— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) July 24, 2021