Former First Lady Jill Biden recalls fearing stroke during 2024 debate
The former first lady’s comments shed new light on the pivotal moment that led to the suspension of the Democratic campaign.
Former US First Lady Jill Biden has revealed she feared her husband, former President Joe Biden, was suffering a stroke during the 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump. In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Biden described her reaction to the June 27, 2024, event as being “frightened” rather than horrified, noting she had never witnessed her husband act in that manner before or since.
Speaking to host Rita Braver, Biden addressed the widely panned debate performance, which is regarded as the turning point that precipitated Joe Biden’s decision to suspend his re-election campaign on July 21, 2024. When asked what she thought was happening on stage, Biden stated, “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.”
At the time of the debate, the incumbent president was 81 years old. The performance, characterised by stiff movement and fragmented speech, prompted immediate calls from within his own party for him to step aside. Biden ultimately withdrew, paving the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to secure the Democratic nomination, although her campaign subsequently ended in defeat to Trump.
The debate performance has since become a focal point for political scrutiny regarding the fitness of older leaders. Former President Trump has utilised the incident to question Biden’s cognitive capacity, arguing that executive actions taken during that period were invalid. Trump has claimed that Biden or his staff used an autopen, a signature-producing device, to bypass physical limitations, a practice Trump has also employed in his current term.
Legal and political tensions surrounding Biden’s health and conduct have intensified. A special counsel report by Robert Hur described Biden’s memory as “significantly limited” but declined to file charges, citing his age and record of service. Meanwhile, Biden has sued the Justice Department to prevent the release of private memoir recordings with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, which conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation seek to publish as evidence of unfitness.
Despite the controversy, Biden has firmly denied any cognitive decline during his presidency, asserting in a statement that he made all decisions regarding pardons and executive orders himself. Both he and Jill Biden have largely remained out of the public eye since the election, which resulted in Trump’s re-election for a second, nonconsecutive term.
