Jill Biden worried husband Joe was 'having a stroke' during 2024 US debate

In a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning, former U.S. First Lady Jill Biden shared her concerns regarding her husband’s performance at the first presidential debate of 2024, suggesting that it represented a pivotal moment in his re-election campaign.

During the interview, host Rita Braver inquired whether Jill Biden felt horrified as she watched the debate unfold. Jill responded, "I wasn't horrified. I was frightened, because I had never, ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never."

When the discussion turned to the specific date of June 27, 2024, when her husband, then-incumbent President Joe Biden, debated Republican candidate Donald Trump, Jill Biden expressed her confusion about his performance. "I don't know what happened," she stated. "As I watched it, I thought, 'Oh my God, he's having a stroke,' and it scared me to death."

A turning point for Biden

Since the 2024 election, where Trump successfully secured a second nonconsecutive term, both Joe and Jill Biden have largely maintained a low profile. Observers have criticized the debate performance as detrimental to Biden's campaign and a catalyst for speculation regarding his health.

At the age of 81 during the debate, Biden faced scrutiny over his capabilities. His health challenges became more prominent the following year when he was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. Despite having debated Trump twice in the 2020 election cycle, his performance in 2024 drew significant critique, as he appeared to walk stiffly and struggled with his thought continuity. Notably, he infamously remarked, "We finally beat Medicare."

The debate spurred discussions concerning the age of both candidates and Biden's fitness for leadership. Some members of his party called for him to suspend his re-election campaign, a move he ultimately made on July 21, 2024, just months before the election. Kamala Harris, his vice president at the time, subsequently won the Democratic nomination but was unsuccessful against Trump.

Following these developments, Trump has aimed to depict Biden as lacking control over his administration. This narrative has fueled efforts to reverse Biden’s executive actions. Trump has asserted that certain executive orders and clemency decisions signed by Biden were invalid due to the use of an autopen—an instrument employed by Trump during his presidency as well.

Additionally, Trump instructed the Justice Department to investigate whether any health issues concerning Biden were concealed during his presidency, including inquiries concerning the autopen use. A report by The New York Times revealed that the Justice Department ultimately found insufficient evidence to pursue charges against Biden or his aides.

Biden himself has dismissed the notion that he experienced cognitive decline while serving in office. In a statement released last year, he asserted, "Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false."

Biden sues Justice Department

In response to ongoing scrutiny of his health and mental acuity by Trump and his Republican supporters, Biden has taken legal action. This stemmed from a report issued by special counsel Robert Hur, who examined Biden's handling of classified documents. While Hur opted not to file charges, he noted Biden's advanced age as a factor in his decision-making process.

The report conveyed Hur's observations of Biden's "significantly limited" memory and questioned whether a jury would consider Biden’s retention of classified documents as willful. Hur emphasized Biden’s age and his service record as justifications for not pursuing criminal charges.

Hur's conclusions were based on recordings and transcripts from interviews with Biden and his memoir's ghostwriter. These materials were primarily from 2016 and 2017, predating Biden's election to the presidency in 2020. However, Trump’s allies have sought to release these documents to present them as evidence of Biden’s unfitness for public service prior to his inauguration in 2021. Groups like the Heritage Foundation have been active in pushing for the documents' release.

In a bid to protect his privacy, Biden filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department seeking to prevent the release of these records. The lawsuit underscores that Biden shared sensitive personal information with his ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, including details of his son Beau's death.

"When the U.S. Department of Justice obtains that private information through a criminal investigation, the Department bears a particular responsibility to protect it from disclosure," the lawsuit asserts.

In response to Biden's legal actions, Trump has labeled the president a "crooked politician" on social media. The former president himself has faced inquiries regarding his mental fitness as well, as he would be 82 years old by the end of a full term, slightly older than Biden at the conclusion of his presidency.