Jill Biden feared husband’s medical emergency at June debate

Former First Lady Jill Biden has revealed that she feared her husband was experiencing a medical emergency during his June 2024 debate performance against Donald Trump, describing the moment as frightening. In an interview with CBS News, she said she had never seen President Joe Biden in such a state before or since and that the incident scared her to death.

The debate, held on June 27, 2024, featured a hoarse Biden who repeatedly stumbled over words and delivered meandering responses. His performance prompted immediate and widespread concern among Democratic officials and donors about his viability as a candidate. In the interview, Jill Biden recounted her immediate reaction, stating she thought he might be having a stroke.

Publicly, however, the initial response from the campaign was to defend the president. On the night of the debate, Jill Biden told her husband he had done a great job and answered every question. Campaign aides characterized the performance as an anomaly, a single bad night for an otherwise energetic and competent leader. Shortly afterward, Biden traveled to North Carolina and acknowledged he was not a young man, noting he did not speak or debate as smoothly...