Jill Biden, in an interview on CBS News' “Sunday Morning,” an excerpt of which was published Wednesday, said the then-president “scared me to death” during a June 2024 debate with Trump, forcing Democrats to begin pressuring Joe Biden to withdraw from the race just weeks before he ultimately suspended his campaign.
Joe Biden's disastrous debate with Trump 'scared' Jill Biden
— I was terrified – said Jill Biden, commenting on her husband's debate with Trump. “Because I've never seen Joe like this before or since,” she added.
“I don't know what happened,” she continued. — When I watched it, I thought, “Oh my God, he's having a stroke.” And I was scared to death – he recalls.
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Joe Biden's clumsy, incomprehensible answers and frail appearance during the debate have reignited concerns about his age and fitness to serve as head of state. That moment sparked an avalanche of calls for the then-president to withdraw from the race, despite assurances from Biden's allies in the White House and campaign staff, including Jill Biden.
During a post-debate campaign rally, Jill Biden then told supporters that her husband “did a great job.”
Joe Biden ended his presidential campaign less than a month after his debate with Trump.
Since Trump's victory, several former Biden allies, administration officials and campaign staff members have criticized the way the issue of Biden's age was handled by top White House and campaign officials.
Those critics included former Vice President Kamala Harris, who wrote in her book that Jill Biden pressured her husband, Doug Emhoff, to continue supporting Biden after the debate in a way that angered Emhoff. Harris also wrote that she had concerns about Biden's ability to defeat Trump.
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