Jill Biden says she feared Joe was having a stroke during disastrous 2024 debate
Former first lady Jill Biden has offered a startling new account of her husband's widely criticized 2024 presidential debate performance, telling CBS she initially feared he was having a stroke on live television.
The debate, which took place in June 2024, is widely regarded as a turning point in the race. President Joe Biden appeared disoriented, struggled through long pauses, and displayed a vacant expression that alarmed both allies and opponents. Within weeks, mounting pressure from within his own party led Biden to withdraw from the race, ultimately endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
In an interview clip released Wednesday, a CBS host asked Jill Biden: “Were you horrified as you saw it unfold?”
“I wasn't horrified, I was frightened,” Jill replied. “Because I had never, ever seen Joe like that before or since.”
The former first lady insisted that even as Biden has aged, she has never witnessed him in a similar state. When pressed about what might have caused the episode, she said, “I don't know what happened. When I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh my God, he's having a stroke,’ and it scared me to death.”
Yet on the night of the debate, Jill Biden appeared to project a very different image. Cheerfully greeting her husband onstage at the after-party before a live audience, she praised him with a remark that itself became a news story: “Joe, you did such a great job! You answered every question, you knew all the facts!” She then turned to the crowd and asked, “And let me ask the crowd. What did Trump do?” before leading them in chanting, “Lie!”
Many commentators seized on the moment, noting that the first lady's tone seemed to mirror the way one would praise a small child. The disconnect between her private fear and public cheerleading has fueled further scrutiny of the Biden campaign's handling of the president's health during the final stretch of the 2024 race.
The interview, conducted for an upcoming CBS special, is expected to air in full later this month. It offers one of the most candid accounts yet from within the Biden inner circle about that pivotal night and its aftermath, which reshaped the presidential contest.
Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.