Jill Biden feared Joe was having a stroke during debate | World | News
WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 23: U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden cheer on members of the Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride, on the South Lawn at the White House June 23, 2022 in Washington, DC. The event helps raise awareness to the public about severely injured veterans and provides rehabilitation opportunities. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)
Jill Biden has revealed she thought her husband was “having a stroke” during his 2024 debate against Donald Trump.
Former US President Joe Biden faced Trump on June 27, 2024, ahead of the November election. Biden repeatedly froze on camera, struggled to articulate his answers and appeared bewildered and disoriented throughout the encounter.
The former first lady told CBS News in an interview due to air in full on Sunday, ahead of her June 2 memoir release: “I was frightened, because I had never, ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never.”
“I don’t know what happened.”
Jill went on to say that she thought “he’s having a stroke”.
Despite this, she remained publicly supportive in the wake of the debate, openly commending him for his performance.
“Joe, you did such a great job,” she said during an event.”
“You answered every question, you knew all the facts.”
Biden debated Trump on June 27, 2024 (file image) (Image: Getty Images)
In the weeks that followed, both supporters and critics raised serious concerns regarding Biden’s mental acuity. Nevertheless, Jill stood firmly by her husband’s side.
At the time, the White House put forward a series of explanations for Biden’s poor showing, initially attributing it to a cold, before shifting the blame to jet lag from an overseas trip taken a fortnight earlier, and ultimately claiming he had over-prepared to the point where facts became muddled in his mind.
Biden’s health had been a persistent concern ever since he declared his intention to seek a second term in April 2023. He was 81-year-old and the oldest person ever to have been elected president at the time.
Biden withdrew from the presidential race on July 21, 2024, following pressure from within his own party. He endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him.
Jill campaigned for Harris, who was defeated by Trump in the Electoral College vote and became the first Democrat in 20 years to lose the popular vote.
Former US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill (file image) (Image: Getty Images)
A former White House staffer told The New York Post that Jill’s candour comes too late.
“Unfortunately, when you wait this long to tell your own story in your own words, it’s extremely hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube,” said Michael LaRosa, who served as the then-first lady’s communications director during her first year in the East Wing.
“She owed it to herself to be candid and transparent in the moment or the days after.”
“The cake is already baked when it comes to shaping public perception about that time and about her. Penning books doesn’t cut it anymore.”
Neither Jill nor publisher Gallery Books have disclosed how much she has received for her memoir, “View from the East Wing”.
The Bidens are thought to require the proceeds from her book as well as a memoir the former president is currently writing.
The couple departed the White House amongst the poorest in presidential history, with financial disclosures revealing cash assets valued between $632,000 and $1.38 million.
