One of Jill Biden’s most controversial moments was sparked by her use of the honorific “Dr.” In November 2020, the conservative magazine of choice, National Review, printed a scathing takedown, claiming Jill wasn’t worthy of the title, as her degree was an Ed.D. and not a Ph.D., and insisting her “doctorate is garbage because her dissertation is garbage.”
The Wall Street Journal followed suit in December with a patronizing and patriarchal op-ed. “Madame First Lady — Mrs. Biden — Jill — kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter. Any chance you might drop the ‘Dr.’ before your name? ‘Dr. Jill Biden’ sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic,” Joseph Epstein opined.
Just like that, President Joe Biden’s wife found herself unwittingly at the center of a heated debate. One that, not surprisingly, social media was firmly divided over. “Dear @DrBiden: My father was a non-medical doctor. And his work benefited humanity greatly. Yours does, too,” Martin Luther King’s daughter, Bernice King, posted on X. “Her name is Dr. Jill Biden. Get used to it,” Hillary Clinton wrote. “She’s not a DR. Calling her ‘Dr’ is an insult to those that actually earned the title,” a hater claimed. “No problem. Also good with Dr. Kanye West, Dr. Ben Affleck, Dr. Jon Bon Jovi, and Dr. P. Diddy,” another snarked.
