Former US First Lady Jill Biden says she thought her husband, President Joe Biden, was having a stroke during his infamously faltering presidential debate in 2024
“I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” Jill Biden told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “As I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.”
President Biden faced intense pressure from fellow Democrats to step down as their candidate after a poor debate performance against then-Republican candidate Donald Trump. Biden ultimately dropped out of the race and endorsed then-Vice-President Kamala Harris.
The former first lady’s interview with CBS News Sunday Morning’s Rita Braver will air on Sunday.
Jill Biden has stood beside her husband throughout his decades-long career, from his time as a Delaware senator to his years as president.
She was considered to be one of his most influential advisers during his presidency, and among those who ultimately encouraged him to drop out of the 2024 race.
Following the June 2024 debate, months ahead of the presidential election, Democrats expressed unease at the president’s shaky debate performance.
Biden’s campaign at the time insisted the president would not step down as the Democratic candidate and that he would debate Donald Trump again.
During the debate in which both men sought a second term, Biden and Trump sparred on major topics including immigration, the economy and abortion rights.
Biden had a raspy voice, which his team said was because he was ill, and a moment where he seemed to lose his train of thought.
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