Jill Biden revealed fear for Biden’s health in debate

Former US First Lady Jill Biden said she thought her husband, former President Joe Biden, was suffering a stroke during his infamous 2024 presidential debate. “I was scared, because I had never, ever, seen Joe like that, neither before nor after. Never,” Jill Biden told CBS News, BBC’s American partner. “I don’t know what happened,” she said. “As I was watching it, I thought, ‘Oh my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And I was terrified.” President Biden faced intense pressure from his fellow Democrats to withdraw as a candidate after his difficult performance in the debate against then-Republican candidate Donald Trump. In the end, Biden withdrew from the race and gave his support to then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The former first lady’s interview with Rita Braver, from the CBS News Sunday Morning program, will air this Sunday. Jill Biden has stood by her husband throughout his career for decades, from his time as a senator for Delaware to his years as president.

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She was considered one of his most influential advisors during his presidency, and one of the people who, ultimately, encouraged him to withdraw from the 2024 election. After the June 2024 debate —which took place months before the presidential elections—, Democrats expressed their concern about the president’s faltering performance in it. At that moment, the Biden campaign insisted that the president would not give up his Democratic candidacy and that he would debate Donald Trump again. During the debate, between two men who were seeking a second term, Biden and Trump clashed over fundamental issues such as immigration, the economy, and reproductive rights. However, Biden’s “slow start” — as his own vice president, Kamala Harris, put it — left some Democratic leaders worried. Biden’s voice was hoarse — which, according to his team, was because he was sick — and he had a moment where he seemed to be losing the thread of his ideas.

Imprudence

Voter concerns about Biden’s health, mental acuity, and age — who was 81 at the time — already weighed heavily on the debate. Analysts slammed the president in most major US media outlets, raising doubts about both Biden’s ability to perform the presidential office and his chances of winning the November 2024 election. It was considered unlikely that Biden —the incumbent president— would be replaced as the Democratic Party’s candidate just months before the elections. It was perceived that the arduous process of choosing a new candidate ran the risk of derailing the party’s aspiration to occupy the White House. However, his performance in the debate —added to a series of gaffes committed during a NATO summit in the following weeks and an appearance of fragility after testing positive for covid-19— ended up leading to the withdrawal of his candidacy. Harris assumed the Democratic candidacy approximately three months before the elections and, ultimately, lost the race to Trump.

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After his electoral defeat, Harris criticized his former boss, calling Biden’s decision to seek a second term “reckless”. “It’s a decision by Joe and Jill.” “We all said that, like a mantra, as if we had all been hypnotized,” Harris wrote in his memoirs. “Was it grace or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness.”