Former first lady Jill Biden said in an interview clip released Wednesday that she thought her husband, former President Joe Biden, was "having a stroke" during his critical June 2024 debate performance against Donald Trump.
The exchange catalyzed widespread scrutiny of Biden's cognitive abilities and eventually led to his withdrawal from the presidential race three weeks later. CBS News' "Sunday Morning" is set to air the full interview Sunday.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic allies largely defended Jill Biden's candor as evidence of her commitment to honesty about a difficult moment for her family, while pointing to other factors that shaped the decision-making around Biden's candidacy.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris wrote in her campaign memoir that staying in the race as long as he did constituted "recklessness," though she specified she did not believe it was "incapacity."
"'It's Joe and Jill's decision.' We all said that, like a hypnotized mantra," Harris wrote, describing the dynamic among senior Democrats during the weeks following the debate.
At the time of the debate, Jill Biden publicly defended her husband's performance as "great," stating he had "answered every question." The White House aggressively pushed back against rumors of cognitive decline throughout that period.
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans pointed to the interview as confirmation of concerns they had raised during the campaign about Biden's fitness for office, arguing it vindicated their criticism of what they called "Sleepy Joe."
The Heritage Foundation filed a 2024 Freedom of Information Act request seeking materials used by former special counsel Robert Hur in his investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents. Hur declined to criminally charge Biden but described him in his report as suffering from memory lapses, descriptions the White House denied at the time.
Audio of Hur interviewing Biden, which came to light last year, confirmed the described lapses. Biden sued the Justice Department on Tuesday to block the release of recordings and transcripts of private conversations with the ghostwriter of his 2017 memoir in connection with that inquiry.
What the Numbers Show
Biden was 81 years old at the time of the June debate and is now 83. He revealed last May that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had metastasized to his bones, completing radiation treatment in October.
Despite concerns about Biden's age and mental fitness, Donald Trump became the oldest person ever elected to the presidency at age 78 when he won the 2024 election. Trump has since made three visits to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for checkups within a 13-month span, including one Tuesday where he said everything went "perfectly," though the White House has not released results.
Biden remained in the race for weeks after the debate before stepping down as nominee with 107 days remaining until Election Day.
The Bottom Line
The interview adds another dimension to the ongoing national conversation about age and cognitive fitness requirements for the presidency. Both major party nominees in 2024 were among the oldest ever to seek the office, prompting renewed calls from some ethicists and former officials for greater transparency about presidential health. Jill Biden's remarks may intensify pressure on both parties to address these concerns more directly as future elections approach.