Nicolai Haugsted
The former FLOTUS speaks out about healt-concern regarding her husband.
Fresh details about Joe Biden’s disastrous 2024 debate performance against Donald Trump are now emerging straight from the person sitting closest to him that night.
Former First Lady Jill Biden says she genuinely feared something serious was happening to her husband while watching him struggle on stage during the televised showdown that helped derail his reelection campaign.
Speaking to CBS News, Jill Biden described feeling shocked by what she saw unfold during the debate in June last year.
“I was frightened, because I had never, ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” she 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.”
Debate Performance Sparked Alarm
Millions of Americans watched Biden stumble over words, lose his train of thought and speak with a noticeably hoarse voice during the debate against Trump on June 28, 2024.
Performance immediately triggered panic inside the Democratic Party and intensified concerns surrounding Biden’s age and health.
Pressure mounted rapidly afterward, including from Democratic allies urging him to leave the presidential race.
Joe Biden later attempted to explain what happened during interviews following the debate.
“It was a bad episode,” Biden told ABC News weeks later.
“No indication of any serious condition. I was exhausted. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing and – and a bad night.”
Former president also said he had been ill leading up to the debate.
“I was sick,” Biden explained, adding that tests later showed he was dealing with “a really bad cold.”
“We Will Not Let Those 90 Minutes Define Him”
At first, both Joe and Jill Biden publicly insisted the debate disaster would not end his campaign.
Jill Biden defended her husband in a Vogue interview shortly after the debate fallout exploded across US media.
“We will not let those 90 minutes define the four years he’s been president. We will continue to fight,” she said.
Behind closed doors, however, alarm inside Democratic circles reportedly continued growing as polling numbers slipped and donor pressure intensified.
Joe Biden later admitted he knew during the debate itself that things were going badly, even before leaving the stage.
Former president also revealed he never watched the debate replay afterward.
Campaign Ended Weeks Later
Only weeks after insisting he would stay in the race, Biden announced he was stepping aside as the Democratic nominee and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris instead.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your President,” Biden said at the time.
“And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
“I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.”
Jill Biden’s latest comments now add another layer to one of the most politically damaging debate performances in modern American history.
