Jill Biden walks over to drag Joe to Marine One

Jill Biden on Wednesday gave her husband Joe Biden a nudge to stop talking to reporters and board Marine One for their trip to Wisconsin. 

President Biden was taking questions from the press on the South Lawn of the White House as the first lady stood to the side, patiently waiting for him.

But after a few minutes she walked over to get the chatty president, nudging him to stop talk and to board the presidential helicopter.

Jill, wearing a pink coat, smiled as she fetched the president. She didn’t speak but gestured with her head to the waiting helicopter. 

The president wrapped up his remarks and walked over to his wife, taking her hand to traverse the lawn and board Marine One with her.

Jill Biden gave her husband Joe Biden a nudge to stop talking to reporters and board Marine One for their trip to Wisconsin

At the first lady’s signal, President Biden cut his conversation short and walked over to her to board Marine One

Jill Biden had been standing to the side, waiting patiently while President Biden took questions from reporters

Biden, whose forehead was marked with ashes for the Catholic holiday Ash Wednesday, was answering a question about abortion policy in America when his wife interrupted him that it was time to go.

‘I don’t want to get into a debate with you on theology,’ Biden said as Jill came over to fetch him. ‘Well, anyway, I’m not going to make a judgment for other people,’ he added.

Biden, a practicing Catholic, has described his position on abortion as ‘middle of the road’ in the past but he has defended abortion policy during his tenure in the White House, keeping him in lockstep with most Democrats. 

Biden also said he privately received ashes from a cardinal Wednesday morning before his trip and that he prayed for the people of the Ukraine. Ash Wednesday is a holy day of obligation in the Catholic Church and marks the beginning of Lent, a time of fasting and prayer leading up to the Easter holiday.

‘I was with the cardinal this morning. He came over and he gave me ashes. We both prayed for that, for the people of Ukraine,’ Biden said. 

The first couple were only five minutes behind schedule leaving the White House for their day trip to Wisconsin where the two will promote the benefits of the bipartisan infrastructure law. 

The trip comes the day after President Biden’s State of the Union address. 

Jill Biden and Joe Biden greet visitors and guests who were watching the Marine One departure

The first couple holds hands as they walk to Marine One for their trip to Wisconsin

They will speak at the at Yellowjacket Union at University of Wisconsin-Superior. Biden will speficially mention the Blatnik Bridge that stretches across St. Louis Bay to connect Superior to Duluth, Minnesota.

That bridge will receive some of  more than $5 billion for roads and bridges that Wisconsin is receiving under the infrastructure bill. 

The bridge was built in 1961 and needs to be replaced in the next decade or so.  

Wisconsin will also be a key state for Democrats in the 2022 midterm election and in the 2024 presidential contest.