This was shocking to hear.
Former first lady Jill Biden is sharing new details about the moment she says left her deeply concerned during former President Joe Biden’s widely criticized 2024 debate performance against President Donald Trump.
In a newly released interview with CBS News, Jill Biden admitted she was alarmed while watching her husband struggle through the nationally televised CNN debate in June 2024. According to her, the performance appeared so unusual that she briefly feared he could be experiencing a serious medical issue.
“I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since,” Jill Biden said during an interview with CBS correspondent Rita Braver.
The debate quickly became one of the defining moments of the 2024 presidential campaign. Millions of Americans watched as Biden spoke with a hoarse voice, paused frequently, and at times appeared to lose his train of thought while debating President Trump.
The performance immediately triggered concern among Democratic voters, political commentators, and party officials. Calls for Biden to reconsider his campaign began almost immediately after the debate ended.
Jill Biden revealed that her own reaction that evening was deeply emotional.
“As I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh my God, he’s having a stroke,’” she said. “And it scared me to death.”
The comments are likely to renew public discussion about Biden’s health and the intense political pressure surrounding the Democratic Party during the final months of the campaign.
Just weeks after the debate, Biden officially withdrew from the presidential race and endorsed then–Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. Harris later lost the election to President Trump.
At the time, Biden defended his debate performance during an interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, saying he had been feeling sick and exhausted that day. However, concerns surrounding his age and stamina continued to dominate political headlines throughout the summer.
When asked by CBS what may have caused the troubling debate appearance, Jill Biden acknowledged that she still does not fully understand what happened that night.
“I don’t know what happened,” she said.
The full CBS interview is scheduled to air Sunday morning and comes ahead of the release of Jill Biden’s upcoming memoir, View From the East Wing, which is set to be released on June 2.
In previous interviews, Jill Biden described writing the memoir as an emotional and reflective process focused on her family’s experiences during their years in the White House.
“I wrote about all the sometimes painful — but mostly beautiful — moments that Joe and I shared during his presidency,” she previously told The Associated Press.
The renewed attention surrounding Biden’s debate performance is expected to spark continued discussion about leadership, transparency, and the role health concerns played during the 2024 election season.
