One of the few narratives to emerge in the aftermath of Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance late last week is that whatever happens next will happen only with the blessing of the president’s wife. If Biden is to bow out of the race, it will happen only because of her intervention; if he keeps on, it will be in part because of her unflagging encouragement.

“The only person who has ultimate influence with him is the first lady,” an unnamed source close to the president told NBC News. “If she decides there should be a change of course, there will be a change of course.” The New York Times likewise reported on unnamed donors who “wondered about whom in the Biden fold they could contact to reach Jill Biden, the first lady, who in turn could persuade her husband not to run.” Axios went almost gloves-off in declaring that only the “Biden oligarchy” could decide Biden’s fate. According to the outlet, “Dr. Jill Biden; his younger sister, Valerie Biden; and 85-year-old Ted Kaufman, the president’s longtime friend and constant adviser—plus a small band of White House advisers—are the only Biden deciders.”

It wasn’t just traditional news media. Right-wing content farms quickly started churning out takes about how “Lady Mac-Biden” was “desperately clinging to power.” The National Review referred to Jill Biden as “the Decider.”

Some of this can be written off as sexism. There’s been a lot of wife-blaming going around this election cycle, on both sides of the aisle.

But there’s an element of much deeper concern in all this coverage. It’s not just that these outlets........

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