Naomi Biden helped Jill Biden keep her dress low on their windy arrival in Kenya on Friday, helping her grandmother avoid an embarrassing moment in front of the cameras.
The first granddaughter, 29, came to the rescue after a gust of wind lifted the first lady’s dress over her knees and into potentially dangerous territory after she disembarked her blue and white Air Force plane.
Naomi held a hand firmly on the skirt of Jill Biden’s blue dress as the two walked side by side down the stairs.
Jill Biden and her granddaughter are on the third day of their five-day trip to Africa, where they are working to strengthen US relations and try to counter China’s influence on the continent. They arrived in Nairobi after spending three days in Namibia.
The first lady will spend much of her time in Kenya dealing with food insecurity, a problem affecting about six million Kenyans due to drought in the arid country. The Biden administration also blames the Russian invasion of Ukraine for contributing to the food shortages.
And Jill Biden sent her prayers to her Ukrainian counterpart Olena Zelensky and all Ukrainians on the first anniversary of the invasion.
“I just wanted to say on Ukraine’s one year anniversary that not a day goes by that I don’t think about President Zelensky, Olena, their family and all the people in Ukraine and what they are going through and how difficult they are. they are fighting to keep their freedom,” she told reporters traveling with her on her plane.
Jill Biden was greeted with gusts of wind upon her arrival in Kenya
At the bottom of the plane, upon her arrival in Kenya, two little girls in pink dresses gave Jill Biden flowers to welcome her to the country.
The wind blew in again, making the first lady’s dress fly up.
On the side, a group of dancers sang “Welcome to Kenya” in Swahili and danced to the beat of wooden drums.
It is Jill Biden’s third trip to Kenya.
During her three days in the country, she will visit a drought-stricken area in Kenya to raise awareness about the issue of food insecurity.
“The Horn of Africa is experiencing historic drought, which, exacerbated by the impacts of climate change and Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, has exacerbated food insecurity and threatened livelihoods across the region,” the White House noted.
According to the UN’s World Food Programme, about a third of Kenyans live in poverty and 29% of rural children are affected by food insecurity.
Jill Biden visited Kenya in 2011 – when she was second lady – amid East Africa’s worst drought in 60 years. During that trip, she also met Somali refugees and held meetings on how the US could help with the ongoing food and refugee crisis.
She later wrote about a visit the Kibera community in Nairobi: ‘The quality of life is almost unimaginable — there is no electricity in the houses and little access to running water. But it’s where I met some of the bravest women and girls I’ll never forget, who are fighting to change the conditions for their communities.”
Kenya is plagued by a dry rainy season.
Naomi Biden stepped in to keep Jill Biden’s skirt down
The wind was a threat as Jill Biden accepted flowers upon arrival
Kenyan First Lady Rachel Ruto (2nd left) welcomes US First Lady Jill Biden (2nd right) as she arrives at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi
Speaking in Poland on Tuesday, President Joe Biden criticized Russia for exacerbating the global food crisis.
“Putin tried to starve the world by blocking Black Sea ports to prevent Ukraine from exporting its grain, exacerbating the global food crisis that hit developing countries in Africa particularly hard,” he said. “This week my wife Jill Biden is traveling to Africa to raise awareness of this critical issue.”
In addition, the first lady will focus on women’s empowerment – including issues related to gender-based violence – and youth throughout her journey and promoting the government’s pro-democracy message.
Kenya has experienced violence surrounding the elections. The country has also seen an increase in violence against women since the COVID pandemic.
According to the Gender Violence Recovery Center at Nairobi Women’s Hospital, nearly half of the region’s women experience gender-based violence in their lifetime, and a third of Kenyan girls experience some form of sexual violence before they turn 18 .
Naomi Biden has been by the first lady’s side at every stop on her journey so far.
Naomi Biden is the eldest grandchild of the first family and lives in the White House. She had her wedding to Peter Neal on the South Lawn in November.
Jill Biden’s plane lands in Nairobi
Jill Biden watches the dance performance
Naomi Biden assisted Jill Biden throughout the trip to Africa
Jill Biden defended taking granddaughter on a taxpayer-funded trip to Africa, noting that other presidents and first ladies have taken family members on trips abroad.
“It’s so great for me to be able to bring a family member along. I think it’s a tradition, or rather, we’ve seen other first-family families, bring members of their families to just see the rest of the world and just experience the world,” she said during a layover in Namibia.
Michelle Obama brought daughters Sasha and Malia to Africa when she visited in June 2016. And Hillary Clinton brought daughter Chelsea with her when she traveled to the region.
