Jill Biden Feared Stroke During Joe Biden’s 2024 Debate Performance

Former First Lady Jill Biden revealed in a CBS News interview that she feared President Joe Biden was having a stroke during the June 2024 presidential debate. “I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” she said. “I don’t know what happened. As I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.”

The debate, held during Biden’s bid for a second term, saw him stumble through his responses against then-President Donald Trump, prompting widespread calls for him to drop out of the race. Biden eventually withdrew three weeks later, with 107 days remaining before the general election. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee.

Despite the debate performance, Jill Biden had previously described her husband’s debate showing as “great,” praising him for answering every question. The White House at the time pushed back against rumors questioning Biden’s cognitive abilities.

Kamala Harris, who was endorsed by Biden after he dropped out, later described his decision to remain in the race as “recklessness,” though she did not believe it was due to “incapacity.” In her campaign memoir, Harris wrote, “‘It’s Joe and Jill’s decision.’ We all said that, like a mantra, as if we’d all been hypnotized.”

Since leaving office, Joe Biden, 83, disclosed in May 2024 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. He underwent several weeks of treatment and completed radiation therapy in October.

Biden has frequently defended himself against accusations regarding his mental acuity and memory. Recently, he filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department to block the release of recordings and transcripts of private conversations with the ghostwriter of his 2017 memoir. This legal action followed a 2024 Freedom of Information Act request by the conservative Heritage Foundation seeking materials used by former special counsel Robert Hur to compile a report about allegations that Biden mishandled classified materials. Hur declined to bring criminal charges but described Biden as experiencing memory lapses, which the White House denied at the time. Audio of Hur interviewing Biden, which came to light last year, confirmed the described lapses.

While concerns about Biden’s age and mental fitness were prominent during the 2024 campaign, it was Donald Trump who made history by becoming the oldest person ever elected president. Trump, who frequently criticized Biden’s mental abilities and nicknamed him “Sleepy Joe,” has faced health questions of his own. He has exhibited moments of apparent drowsiness and a bruised hand and disclosed undergoing advanced imaging in October.

Trump visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday for a checkup, his third in 13 months, stating on social media that everything went “perfectly.” However, the White House has yet to release results or information about the outcome of his exams.