The first lady, Jill Biden, is facing intense pushback from fans and foes alike after Vogue magazine on Monday unveiled her on the cover of its August edition, just days after President Biden’s disastrous debate performance against President Trump. The debate over Mr. Biden’s fitness for office has focused attention on the first lady’s influence over his thinking about whether to stay in the race. 

In the magazine profile, released digitally on Monday, Mrs. Biden details her own role as chief counselor to the president while working as a teacher. She discusses the pains of campaigning on her husband’s behalf. “Every campaign is important, and every campaign is hard,” the first lady says. “Each campaign is unique. But this one, the urgency is different. We know what’s at stake. Joe is asking the American people to come together to draw a line in the sand against all this vitriol.”