New York Dreamer

I also showed him the White House Children’s Garden, where his handprints and the bronze handprints of presidents’ grandchildren since the 1960s have been encased in stones on the patio. I always enjoyed it as a way to remember the special relationship between families who have lived at the White House, whether Republican or Democrat. That connection became clearer to me toward the end of our term as various former inhabitants came to visit what had been their childhood home. Chelsea Clinton brought her children to see it. One was a little prodigy and rattled off presidential history—no surprise to me, having seen how bright Chelsea was at that age.

On September 23, 2024, I went to the United Nations in New York to host a leaders’ reception for the UN General Assembly. I also delivered remarks at the UN’s LGBTI Core Group’s “Leaving No One Behind: An Inclusive Future for All” event, spoke with USAID and UNICEF about protecting children from lead exposure, and appeared as part of the summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen gathering to discuss improvements in children’s safety. I was able to briefly visit with Ukraine’s Olena Zelenska, and noted how she’d blossomed from a reluctant figurehead into a strong advocate, taking every opportunity to fight for her people. That evening at the UN, I was in conversation with Chelsea Clinton and Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice before a large crowd as part of the Clinton Global Initiative. We spoke about the ways in which women’s health had been routinely neglected. As the talk ended, “Hail to the Chief” started playing. That was odd. This usually only happened to announce the arrival of the president. Hillary Clinton walked out. After her, Bill Clinton appeared—escorting Joe! Everyone leapt to their feet for a spontaneous standing ovation. Onstage, Joe hugged me, and then Bill did, too. “Ladies and gentlemen, we thought the two doctors deserved a surprise,” Bill said. He talked about how much good work Joe had done and then presented him with an unexpected honor: the 2024 Clinton Global Citizen Award. In accepting, Joe said my work on women’s health research would go down as one of the administration’s significant programs. The award meant so much to Joe, and I think the chance to do him a kindness at a difficult time meant a lot to Bill and Hillary.

Hillary Clinton’s portrait shows her smiling broadly in a black pantsuit, one hand on a chair and the other on a table. I often paused to look at this painting on my walks because I was truly amazed by Hillary Clinton as First Lady. She hosted a fundraiser for Joe in 1996, when he was running to hold on to his Senate seat. Wearing a beautiful brown St. John knit pantsuit, she spoke at first from a podium and then came and spoke to what felt like every single person in the room one-on-one. I was so impressed by how she was able to instantly change topics and speak with such insight on each of them. She must have an encyclopedic memory. Hillary and Joe ran against each other in the 2008 presidential election. (It was supposed to be “her year,” but then Barack Obama won the Iowa caucus.) When Barack was assembling his cabinet, Joe supported her for secretary of state. She and Joe had a good working relationship, having spent eight years together in the Senate. Once Joe became president, we started inviting the Clintons to the White House. I saw her in a different way—as one of the greatest politicians of our time, as well as a singularly kind person. She’d say, “Anything I can help you with, call me,” and she meant it. I don’t think you ever really know who your friends are going to be until things get rough and they stick around. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “The world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in this land; confusion all around… But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” In 2024, Hillary and Bill stuck with us through the entirety of the hard summer. Hillary had been through so much and seemed to have gained deep knowledge and grace as a result. I felt very lucky that she was willing to share it with me. When Joe decided to get out of the race in 2024, we had them come to dinner to talk about the afterlife—what they did, what mistakes they felt they’d made, setting up their foundation, giving speeches. They left the White House when they were in their fifties, and Joe and I were much older, so our situation was different. Still, they had a lot of wisdom to share. After that, Hillary and I made plans for time alone, and we had tea for about three hours. The relationship blossomed into something meaningful. Hillary and Bill ended up being good friends. Interestingly, Hillary chose to put several elements of her life into her official White House portrait. She stands confidently in the Blue Room in front of the fireplace mantel. On the table beside her is her book It Takes a Village and her White House china.