WASHINGTON, D.C. — Jill Biden’s memoir “View from the East Wing,” scheduled for publication on June 2 by Gallery Books, includes personal reflections on her time in the White House and critical assessments of political figures including Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. The book recounts interactions during transitions of power, internal family dynamics, and architectural changes to the White House following her departure.
Biden describes Donald Trump offering a conciliatory remark at the 2025 inauguration, saying, “If Joe ever needs anything, call me!” She also writes that during the ride to the ceremony, she shared a car with Melania Trump and John Bessent, husband of Sen. Amy Klobuchar. According to the memoir, Klobuchar chaired the bipartisan committee that planned the inauguration.
The memoir notes that Melania Trump did not extend an invitation to the customary White House tea during the 2020–2021 presidential transition. After the 2024 election, Jill Biden extended a similar invitation to Melania Trump, which was declined.
Biden is critical of Kamala Harris’s 2019 presidential debate performance, specifically her comment about being bused to school. She characterizes the remark as “hypocritical point-scoring” and a “‘gotcha’ moment.” Biden writes that she believed the comment implied Joe Biden was a racist.
The book also details her husband’s media habits during his presidency. She states that Joe Biden was “obsessed with his iPhone and the Apple News feed” and “constantly watching Fox.” She writes that he was “being deluged with news every day; nearly all of it was bad.” Biden notes that Joe Biden withdrew as the Democratic presidential candidate three weeks after his 2024 debate performance against Trump.
Biden recounts that the East Wing of the White House was demolished nine months after she left office. She states the demolition was to make way for Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful ballroom,” festooned with gold. According to the memoir, architectural elements installed by Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and FDR were lost in the renovation.
No independent assessment of Jill Biden’s claims was available.