Biden White House demanded Marine Corps band compose 'Fanfare for the First Lady' entrance theme for Jill: report

In 2022, the Washington Examiner's Becket Adams reported that the Marine Corps Band was instructed to compose an entrance theme for First Lady Jill Biden. The song, Fanfare for the First Lady, was intended to be a counterpoint to the president's Hail to the Chief. But of course, the president is the elected commander in chief, and the First Lady is more of an honorary post.

Many of those in the Marine Corps Band said they'd never been asked to do an exclusive First Lady entrance theme before. "Someone in the White House apparently 'had the bright idea, ‘Oh, tell the band that we want music for Jill,'' a source said. 'The band had to provide music,'" Adams reported. 

At the time, press secretary for the First Lady Michael LaRosa (yes, she has one of those too), said that the story was not accurate. "The first lady does not have a song anybody has written for her specifically. She has no ‘Hail to the Chief’ song. She has no song. She never asked anyone to create a song."

"The White House asked nobody, not one person, to compose an exclusive entry song, or any song, for the first lady,” LaRosa added. “None of that is accurate."

Yet, the song exists. LaRosa said the whole thing was the band's idea and that it wasn't even written for First Lady Jill specifically, even though it was played just for her and there was a recording made as well so she could have the entrance song even when the band was not around. It was even performed at the White House's Teacher of the Year event. 

After Adams' story was published, an update was released saying that "The U.S. Marine Band has retired 'Fanfare for the First Lady' from its repertoire, the Washington Examiner has learned. The song was removed quietly following the publication of this article, a source said. One source attributed the decision to pull the composition from rotation to 'negative' news coverage. We hope the first lady can forgive us for killing her entrance theme."