Former first lady Jill Biden said she was “frightened” that her husband was experiencing a stroke during his performance in the 2024 presidential debate against President Donald Trump.
In an interview with CBS News, Jill Biden recalled her reaction to seeing former President Joe Biden stumble over his words, appearing frail and unstable.
“I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since,” Jill Biden 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 former first lady’s comments contradict those she made after the debate in June 2024. At the time, Jill Biden said her husband did “a great job,” praising him for knowing “all the facts.” Media outlets and online discourse had compared her reaction to that of a mother praising a child.
Joe Biden dropped out of the race one month later and endorsed his right-hand, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee, leaving her 107 days to win over voters before the election.
Nearly a year after the debate, Joe Biden was diagnosed with Stage 4 prostate cancer. Trump has been fiercely critical of the former president’s health and his transparency around it.
When news of Joe Biden’s cancer broke, Trump questioned if Joe Biden had been diagnosed while still in office, and if there was an inside effort to cover up the former president’s declining health.
Trump was highly critical of the former president for what he called a lack of transparency in releasing medical disclosures. Presidents are not required to disclose medical information, but may do so at their own discretion.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES HIS SIX-MONTH PHYSICAL WENT ‘PERFECTLY’
He has repeatedly attacked Joe Biden for skipping a cognitive test during a 2024 physical examination, something Trump underwent when he later took office for the second time. Following Biden’s performance in the 2024 debate, the White House physician revealed that the former president visited a neurologist as part of his annual physicals.
On Tuesday, Trump visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his six-month physical. The president described the annual physical as going “perfectly.” Trump, who turns 80 next month, did not detail which exams he underwent.