The former first lady Jill Biden she admitted that she was worried about her husband Joe Biden he was “having a stroke” during his ill-fated 2024 presidential debate no Donald Trump.
“I was scared,” Jill, 74, told CBS News. Rita Braver in a preview clip CBS Sunday morning interview that aired Sunday, May 31. “I've never seen Joe like this before or since.”
Joe's famously defiant debate on June 27, 2024, signaled the end of his re-election bid against Trump, 79. After his disastrous debate run, George Clooneylate Rob Reiner and the author Stephen King were among those calling on Joe, 83, to end his re-election campaign.
Looking back on the conversation, Jill remembered that her biggest worry was that her husband had a medical emergency before the world.
“I don't know what happened,” he admitted. “I was watching it and I thought, 'Oh my god, he's having a stroke.' I was scared to death.”
Pressure mounted on Joe to resign in the weeks after the June 2024 debate. More than 30 Democrats publicly called for Joe to step down, though he initially refused to agree to step down.
“I know I'm not a guy. I don't walk like I used to. I don't talk like I used to,” Joe told his supporters at a North Carolina rally in June 2024. “I don't argue as well as I used to, but I know what I know: I can tell the truth. I know right from wrong. And I know how to do American things, and I know what to do. When you get knocked down, you get up.”
However, Joe finally withdrew from the race on July 21, 2024, and formally endorsed his Vice President. Kamala Harris to take on Trump in the November election.
Joe Biden and Donald Trump participate in CNN's Presidential Debate.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images“My fellow Americans, in the last three and a half years, we have made great progress as a nation,” he declared of X. “Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We have made historic investments in rebuilding our nation, lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans.”
Joe insisted that “America has never been in a better position to lead than we are today,” crediting his administration with overcoming “the pandemic of the century and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.”
“It has been a great honor in my life to be your President,” he concluded. “And although it was my intention to seek re-election, I believe that it is of great benefit to my party and the entire country that I step down and focus only on fulfilling my duty as President in my remaining time.
Harris, 61, ended up losing the presidential election to Trump in November 2024. Joe's publicist announced that he had been diagnosed with “aggressive” prostate cancer and “bone metastases” in May 2025.
Former President Joe Biden has begun his battle with what his office calls an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer. “Last week, President Joe Biden was diagnosed with a new prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” a statement from Biden's office sent to CNN in May 2025. “On Friday, he […]
“Last week, President Joe Biden was diagnosed with a newly diagnosed prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” a statement sent by CNN read. “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade 5) with bone metastasis. Although this indicates an aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone sensitive, allowing for effective management.”
The former president broke his silence on May 19, 2025, to thank his supporters for their well wishes.
“Cancer touches us all,” she captioned an Instagram post on Monday, May 19. “Like many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
