Jill Biden 'frightened' watching Joe Biden's debate performance against Donald Trump

Former first lady Jill Biden said she was “frightened” watching her husband Joe Biden’s 2024 debate performance against Donald Trump, which later prompted calls for the former president to drop out of the race.

During an interview with "CBS News Sunday Morning" correspondent Rita Braver, Jill Biden reflected on what she felt as she watched her husband during the June 27, 2024, debate in Atlanta, saying she feared he was having a stroke.

“I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” she said. “I don’t know what happened. As I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.”

Braver asked the former first lady whether she had noticed signs that her husband was “falling into cognitive decline.” She also noted that the public had expressed concern about Joe Biden’s mental acuity, stating, “People were saying he wasn’t the same Joe Biden.”

Jill Biden said she did not observe signs that her husband was in cognitive decline, although she acknowledged that his responsibilities as president may have taken a toll on him.

“He was the same, the essence of the same Joe Biden, but yeah, he was slowing down. He was getting older. It’s a very intense job. I think it ages you — quickly,” Jill Biden said.

Joe Biden was running for a second term, but numerous voices, including many on the political left, began calling for him to drop out of the race following a June 2024 debate against Trump.

Those who watched the debate noted that Joe Biden appeared to frequently lose his train of thought and stare blankly at the camera. CNN anchor John King said at the time that prominent Democrats he spoke with described Joe Biden’s performance as “dismal.”

“They are having conversations about the president’s performance, which they think was dismal, which they think will hurt other people down the ticket, and they’re having conversations about what they should do about it,” King said.

“Some of those conversations include, ‘Should we go to the White House and ask the president to step aside?’ Other conversations are about, ‘Should prominent Democrats go public with that call?’ Because the debate was so terrible,” he added.

Following the June 2024 debate against Trump, Joe Biden sat down for an interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos. During the interview, the former president addressed criticism of his performance, calling it a “bad episode.”

“No indication of any serious condition,” Joe Biden said. “I was exhausted. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing and — and a bad night.”

Joe Biden and his team claimed at the time that he was “exhausted” after a transatlantic trip, although Stephanopoulos noted that Joe Biden had more than a week to rest.

Stephanopoulos asked Joe Biden during the interview whether he would be willing to undergo an independent medical and cognitive evaluation amid concerns about his neurological health. Joe Biden asserted that the fact that he is “running the world” proves he is mentally capable.

“Look, I have a cognitive test every single day,” Joe Biden said. “Every day I have that test. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I’m running the world. Sounds like hyperbole, but we are the essential nation of the world.”

Nearly a month after the June 2024 presidential debate against Trump, Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Vice President Kamala Harris replaced him as the Democratic nominee 107 days before Election Day.