Jill Biden revealed in a CBS News interview that she experienced genuine alarm watching her husband's performance at the June 2024 debate, fearing in real time that something catastrophic was happening.
"I don't know what happened. I mean, when I, as I watched it, I thought, 'Oh, my God, he's having a stroke.' And it scared me to death," the former first lady said in the clip released Wednesday. The full interview airs Sunday on "Sunday Morning."
"I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never," she added.
The debate moment triggered a seismic shift in American politics. Within weeks, questions about Biden's mental sharpness flooded the news cycle, pressure mounted from within his own party, and the sitting president eventually withdrew from the race three weeks after the debate. Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee following Biden's exit and his subsequent endorsement of her, later characterized his decision to remain in the race for as long as he did as "recklessness."
The timing of Jill Biden's account cuts against her public statements in the immediate aftermath of the debate. She praised her husband's performance as "great" at the time, saying he had "answered every question." The White House also aggressively denied suggestions of cognitive issues.
In her campaign memoir, Harris reflected on the internal dynamics during those weeks. "'It's Joe and Jill's decision.' We all said that, like a mantra, as if we'd all been hypnotized," she wrote.
Since leaving office, Biden has faced renewed scrutiny over his health. He disclosed last May that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had metastasized to his bones, completing a course of radiation treatment in October.
This week, the 83-year-old Biden filed suit against the Justice Department to prevent the release of audio recordings and transcripts from interviews with the ghostwriter of his 2017 memoir. The action stems from a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the conservative Heritage Foundation seeking materials used by former special counsel Robert Hur in his investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents. Hur ultimately declined to bring criminal charges but noted in his report memory lapses that the White House disputed. Audio released last year corroborated Hur's characterization.
The focus on Biden's fitness contrasts with another reality of the 2024 race: Donald Trump became the oldest person ever elected to the presidency. Trump, who regularly mocked Biden with the "Sleepy Joe" moniker, has faced his own health questions. He visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday for his third checkup in 13 months, claiming on social media that everything went "perfectly," though the White House has not released results or specifics.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Jill Biden's candid recollection raises the obvious question of what she and her advisors knew and when, and why the public got one story while her private fears apparently told another."
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