Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.
Jill Biden has addressed, for the first time, the widely discussed moment in 2024 when her husband Joe Biden appeared to lose his train of thought during a debate with Donald Trump.
The former First Lady described the incident as one of the most unsettling points of the campaign, saying it left her deeply shaken as she watched it unfold.
During the June 27 debate ahead of the November 2024 election, Biden — then 83 — paused mid-answer, struggled to respond, and appeared disoriented on camera, a sequence that quickly drew intense attention.
Trump repeatedly questioned Biden’s fitness for office throughout and after the campaign. He also targeted Biden over the use of an autopen, at one point swapping out Biden’s image in the White House “Presidential Walk of Fame” display for a picture of the device, arguing it had been used to sign significant documents.
Speaking to reporters in March last year, Trump said: “I mean, we may use it, as an example, to send some young person a letter, because it’s nice. … But to sign pardons and all of the things that (Biden) signed with an autopen is disgraceful.”
Footage of the debate moment spread rapidly online in the days that followed. Now, two years later, Jill Biden has offered her own perspective on what she saw.
“I wasn’t horrified, I was frightened,” she said, speaking with CBS Sunday Morning.
Reflecting on the experience, the 74-year-old added: “I had never ever seen Joe like that, before or since.
“I don’t know what happened, as I watched I thought ‘Oh my God, he’s having a stroke’.”
Biden later ended his re-election bid on July 21, 2024, following mounting pressure within the Democratic Party, and he endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.
In 2025, the former president revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
He has since undergone an intensive course of radiation and other treatment for what was described as an “aggressive” form of the disease, including cancer that had spread to his bones.
Although metastatic cancer is typically considered incurable, treatment can still be used to control the illness and help ease symptoms, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Possible symptoms include severe tiredness, night sweats, unexplained weight loss, bloating, bone pain, and others.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.