Former first lady Jill Biden said she was afraid her husband was having a stroke during a presidential debate with then-former President Donald Trump in 2024.
“I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” Jill Biden told CBS News Sunday Morning. “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.”
Then-President Joe Biden was running for a second term against Trump. In his first debate with Trump on June 27 in Atlanta, Biden appeared confused and tired, giving raspy, sometimes unintelligible responses. He later blamed a cold and fatigue for his poor debate performance.
“I screwed up. I made a mistake,” Biden said in an interview after the debate. “That’s 90 minutes on stage. Look at what I’ve done in 3.5 years.”
Recommended
He ended his re-election campaign a month later and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to replace him as the Democratic nominee, who eventually lost to Trump.
The effect of Biden’s age on his abilities was a frequent subject of scrutiny during his presidency.
Trump, who will turn 80 next month, has also drawn concern about how his age is affecting his abilities, and has made frequent visits to Walter Reed Medical Center.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.