The spectacle of the Olympic Games opening ceremony could be overshadowed by the human drama in the White House after it was confirmed that Jill Biden will attend the event on the Seine.
It will be a first appearance on the world stage for the president’s wife since her husband withdrew from his re-election campaign over concerns about his deteriorating health.
Rumours had swirled in Paris that the first lady could pull out of the games at the last minute with some suggesting that she might even be replaced by vice-president Kamala Harris whose husband, Douglas Emhoff, is leading the delegation at the closing ceremony.
The White House, however, confirmed on Monday evening that Jill Biden would lead a delegation of seven other senior US figures at the opening ceremony, including the US ambassador to France, Denise Campbell Bauer, senators Chris Coons and Alex Padilla, and the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass.
Others in the US delegation are Casey Wasserman, chairperson of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Brian Boitano, a three-time Olympian and Olympic gold medallist in figure skating and Dawn Staley, a three-time Olympic gold medallist in women’s basketball.
The eyes of the world’s media will be on Biden, 73, as she takes her place alongside the French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, alongside the Seine on Friday evening.
The president’s wife of 45 years had been central to the attempt to defend Biden’s re-election hopes after his performance in the first debate with Donald Trump fuelled concerns about his ability to carry on.
She is yet to comment on his subsequent decision on Sunday evening to pull out of the presidential campaign, only reposting her husband’s statement on social media with a heart emoji.
She is also due to appear at a campaign fundraising event in Paris that had been scheduled before her 81-year old husband pulled out of the election in favour of Harris, his vice-president.
It will be hosted by former US Ambassador to the EU Tony Gardner, Belinda de Gaudemar, and Lorna Johnson with ticket prices said to range from $500 (£390) to $25,000 (£19,400).
Biden had stayed on for some of the sports events when she led the US delegation at the games in Tokyo four years ago but her diary in Paris is yet to be made public.
She will inevitably wish to be back at her husband’s side after a turbulent few days and her visit to France will be dominated about questions about her husband’s historic decision and her role in making it.
Jill Biden – a professor of English – had rallied to her husband’s defence after the fateful debate with Trump. “Joe, you did such a great job! You answered every question, you knew all the facts!”, she was heard telling him.
She introduced her husband at two subsequent rallies and had attempted to recast the debate as a clash between her husband who had “told the truth,” and former president Trump who told “lie after lie after lie”.
