First lady Jill Biden managed to score one final perk during her last hours in her role, getting a private tour of the National Zoo’s new pandas.
Her office posted video of the encounter on Facebook and Instagram, just hours before President-elect Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump flew to D.C. to kick off inaugural festivities.
She was accompanied by Hunter Biden’s son Beau, who sported a lined jean jacket with an American flag patch – and who can be heard exclaiming at the ‘cute’ pandas on video. Hunter, who got a pardon from his father, has been a fixture at the White House as his dad’s tenure winds down.
There are reports that the first lady is seething at Democrats like Nancy Pelosi who helped push her husband to give up his reelection bid, but that didn’t stop her from enjoying herself on a visit with D.C.’s biggest celebrity animals.
‘Let’s see if he’ll turn and look at us,’ Jill says.
‘Oh yeah. Awww,’ she coos.
The edited video includes the sound of shutter snaps, and is titled ‘First Lady Meets New Pandas,’ with a White House logo.
A National Zoo staffer can be heard providing a tour.
‘Can we introduce you to one of the pandas here,’ says the guide at the Smithsonian facility in Northwest, D.C.
‘Wow how cool is that!’ exclaims Jill, who advocated for the pandas and blasted out the announcement of their arrival back in May.
She is a such a Giant Panda fan that she even wore a panda costume for Halloween.
Jill Biden got a private look at DC’s new pandas on one of her last days as first lady
An off-camera voice can be heard introducing the new high-profile D.C. residents – secured after prolonged negotiations through what is sometimes called ‘panda diplomacy.’
The pandas came as part of a 10-year deal negotiated with China. The Smithsonian Zoo pays $1 million to a conservation association to help endangered pandas in China.
The practice has come under increased scrutiny, as China requires zoos to pay hefty fees and return offspring of the panda pairs. Local zoos are often desperate to keep the revenue-generating pandas, which get lumped into complex international talks amid pressure on China for its human rights record and trade practices.
The White House made a video of the encounter
The first lady got an up-close look
‘How cool is that?’ she said
The U.S. pays $1 million a year to Chinese panda conservation as part of the deal that brought the pair here
Beau Biden, 4, was with his grandparents on Friday when they went to Joint Base Andrews for an event
Jill Biden dressed as a panda for Halloween
Snack time: Bao Li munched on bamboo during the encounter
‘This is Bao Li, which means “energetic treasure,”‘ says the guide.
‘This is Qing Bao. It’s like “green mountainous treasure,’ she adds.
‘That’s cute right?’ says the first lady.
‘Cute,’ says Beau,
President Biden has been trying to make the most of his final hours in office, flying to California to declare a new national monument (although he had to scrub the event and bring it back to D.C. after the outbreak of the horrific fires in Los Angeles).
He is set to fly to Charleston on Sunday – although he had no public events Saturday.
Biden and the first lady were set to fly to Rome to meet the Pope, but the White House said he cancelled the trip to deal with the fires.
They are both set to have tea with the Trumps on Monday morning before attending Trump’s inauguration – something the Trumps didn’t do for them four years ago.
Then, they’re planning to head west for a vacation in California.
