In a new interview with CBS Sunday Morning, former First Lady Jill Biden revealed her true feelings as she watched her husband, President Joe Biden, falter on the debate stage against President Donald Trump in June 2024.  

“Were you horrified as you saw it unfold?” Rita Braver asked Biden. 

“I wasn’t horrified, I was frightened,” Biden said, “because I had never, ever seen Joe like that, before or since.” 

“You’ve never seen him like that,” Braver confirmed.

“Never. No,” Biden said. 

“I don’t know what happened. I mean, as I watched it, I thought ‘Oh my God he’s having a stroke,” Biden told Braver.

After the debate, however, she praised her husband, saying “Joe, you did such a great job, you answered every question, you knew all the facts.” At the time, people joked that she sounded like a kindergarten teacher praising a student for getting past the first round of a spelling bee. The comments did not inspire confidence, and Americans began to wonder about her potential complicity in the president’s apparent decline. 

The debate in June 2024 between the two presidents was a pivotal moment in the presidential election and led directly to Biden dropping out of the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place. Democrat pundits, insiders, and celebrities all spoke out after the debate encouraging Biden to “pass the torch” to a younger generation.

His performance also led to questions as to how long he had been mentally impaired and who was running operations in the White House since a man who exhibited such a steep decline did not appear able to run the nation or even a high-pressured office. 

A post-debate poll from The New York Times showed Trump gaining a large lead in swing states. Biden said he would like to debate Trump again and a new date was tentatively set for September, but by the time the day rolled around, Biden wasn’t even in the race.