Jill Biden has revealed in a new interview that she thought her husband Joe was “having a stroke” during his infamous 2024 debate with Donald Trump.
“I was frightened, because I had never, ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” the former first lady told CBS News.
“I don’t know what happened,” she added. “As I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.”
Then-President Biden shocked the nation during the June 27, 2024, debate, repeatedly freezing on camera, fumbling for answers and appearing dazed and confused.
Jill Biden played the supportive spouse in the immediate aftermath, joining him at an Atlanta Waffle House and praising him for a job well done.
“Joe – you did such a great job,” she said during an event with reeling supporters. “You answered every question, you knew all the facts.”
In subsequent days, the first lady defended her husband to those who doubted his mental capabilities.
The White House also offered a plethora of excuses for Biden’s performance, initially blaming a cold before pivoting to jet lag from an overseas trip taken two weeks earlier, before finally claiming that he had prepped so hard for the debate that he got facts jumbled in his head.
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Ultimately, Biden dropped out of the presidential race July 21, 2024, under pressure from his own party, endorsing then-Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place.
Biden’s health had been an issue from the moment he announced he’d seek a second term in April 2023. At the time, he was 81 and the oldest person ever elected president.
Jill was one of his staunchest defenders, saying publicly her husband would finish the job.
But behind the scenes, she was pressuring aides to let the president rest more and took a major role in handling his schedule, former White House chief of staff Jeff Zients told a House committee investigating a potential cover-up of the president’s declining health.
When Joe Biden exited the race, Jill campaigned for Harris, who ultimately suffered an Electoral College landslide to Trump and became the first Democrat in 20 years to lose the popular vote.
Jill Biden is on a media tour ahead of the release of her memoir, “View from the East Wing,” out June 2.
The memoir is a recounting of her experiences in the White House, including its effect on the first family.
