Is Jill Biden the only person who could persuade the president not to run again?

The first lady is a key player in the administration - and critics fear she has been shielding her husband beyond a reasonable point

Through a week in which Joe Biden's re-election hopes seemed to crumble, Jill Biden has been at his side. At times, she's appeared more than a resolute first lady, standing in as his compere, guide and primary political aide.

The president's wife of 45 years - they met on a blind date, set up by Biden's brother, in 1975 - may now hold the key to whether Biden accepts mounting pressure from Democrat party donors and abandons a faltering re-election bid or risks another debate with Donald Trump in September with even higher stakes.