Joe Biden and spouse Jill attend opening evening of Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal’s Broadway hit Othello
Joe Biden put on a brave face as he took wife Jill to the Broadway opening of Othello, starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal just days after Democrats appeared to give him the cold shoulder.
The ‘date night’ was the former president’s first high profile public appearance since his offer to help his struggling party fundraise was rejected.
Biden donned a tuxedo and Jill wore a sleek teal dress, with the couple posing for a photo on a Manhattan rooftop before the show.
The former first lady posted the picture to her Instagram with the caption: ‘Date Night!’
Othello is a juggernaut on Broadway. With Washington and Gyllenhaal sharing the stage in Shakespeare’s brutal tale of betrayal and jealousy, the play has shattered records by pulling in $2.8 million in a single week – making it the highest-grossing Broadway play in history.
Washington, now 70, called the experience ‘the most excited I’ve been this century.’ Gyllenhaal, 44, told reporters, ‘I’ve worked my whole career for this moment.’
But for many Democrats, 82-year-old Biden’s curtain call in public did not generate feelings of nostalgia, but rather rub salt into an open wound.
Just days before the couple’s theater outing, Biden privately urged new DNC chair Ken Martin to let him help raise money, headline rallies, and fight back against Trump’s sweeping dismantling of policies his administration had put in place.
Dressed in a tuxedo and accompanied by Jill in a sleek teal dress, Joe and Jill Biden posed for a photo on a Manhattan rooftop, captioning the picture: ‘Date Night!’
Denzel Washington, Joe Biden and Jake Gyllenhaal posed for a photo at the opening night of Broadway’s Othello
The response was tepid at best. According to sources close to the meeting, Martin listened politely, but no commitments were made and no fundraisers were scheduled in a major blow to the ex-president’s influence.
Internal polling and interviews with Democratic operatives suggest Biden’s impact has plummeted since November’s election loss.
An NBC News poll found only 27 percent of registered voters held a favorable view of the Democratic Party – the lowest figure since polling began in 1990. Only 1 percent of Democrats said Biden represents their core values.
In the two months since he left office, Biden has remained mostly quiet, dividing time between Delaware and Washington, working on a memoir, taking meetings, and making calls.
According to multiple sources, he’s expressed no regret about running in 2024 but privately believes the party mishandled his exit and failed to unite quickly enough behind Kamala Harris.
Now, as President Trump barrels ahead with a flurry of executive actions, gutting environmental protections, reversing immigration reforms, and cutting health programs, Biden has offered to become the voice of resistance – yet no one asked him to.
A major Democratic fundraiser, Alan Kessler, told reporters: ‘There are plenty of people who still love Joe Biden. But it’s time to move on.’
Jill Biden has also quietly offered to help raise money, according to people close to her. ‘She’s prepared to help in any way she can,’ one source said.
Biden smiled for the cameras as he made his entrance at the event held in New York
The play has shattered records by pulling in $2.8 million in a single week – making it the highest-grossing Broadway play in history
Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal are seen at the Broadway revival of Othello
But the signals from party leadership are clear – the Bidens are not part of the strategy.
While the Biden family sees public service as a lifetime duty, many Democratic strategists now view them as a reminder of a painful chapter best left behind.
Trump continues to mention Biden or his family and has done so more than 400 times since Inauguration Day – about seven times a day.
He continues to reference Biden’s ‘failures’ blaming him for inflation and foreign conflicts, and even terminated Secret Service protection for Biden’s adult children, Hunter and Ashley, without warning.
‘We still very much are fixing so many of the problems created or started by the Biden administration. It’s important to remind the American people and media why these problems exist,’ White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Biden has declined to engage and not made any public statements nor given any interviews.
Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal are seen on stage during the curtain call for the opening night of Othello on Broadway on Sunday night receiving a warm reception from the audience
For many, Biden’s curtain call in public did not generate feelings of nostalgia, but rather rub salt into an open wound
For some Democrats, Biden’s reappearance is both touching and complicated.
‘He deserves the applause,’ said DNC Vice Chair Jane Kleeb. ‘He is beloved by the party and beloved by the voters.’
Longtime Democratic strategist Donna Brazile believes Biden should keep quiet.
‘It makes no sense for Joe Biden to respond to Donald Trump,’ she said to NBC. ‘The American people are not looking backward; they’re looking forward.’
