A number of Democrats, including some who have previously worked with President Biden, seem skeptical about Jill Biden’s surprising assertion that she feared her husband suffered a stroke during the challenging 2024 debate, according to political journalist Alex Thompson.
Thompson, who collaborated with Jake Tapper on the book “Original Sin,” discussed Jill Biden’s efforts to “rewrite this part of history” in a segment on CNN. “Honestly, a lot of Democrats, even some Biden aides I’ve spoken with since this interview aired, simply don’t buy it,” he remarked.
Following Biden’s difficult debate performance against Trump, both Joes held a rally where Jill Biden enthusiastically supported “four more years,” stopped by a Waffle House, and then traveled to North Carolina for two rallies in a row.
Thompson noted, “Many former aides have expressed that if you truly thought Biden might have had a stroke, your actions would likely differ.” He also pointed out that no substantial medical evaluations appeared to have been conducted afterward, and no cognitive tests followed.
In a preview for “CBS Sunday Morning” aired Wednesday, Jill Biden shared her feelings about her husband’s debate performance—highlighted by his struggles with words and lapses in thought—marking her first time expressing such concerns. “I wasn’t scared, I was scared, because I’ve never seen Joe like that before or since,” she told CBS’s Rita Braver.
She added, “Watching it, I thought, ‘Oh my God, he’s having a stroke,’ and it terrified me.”
This interview has sent ripples through the Democratic Party, especially since the Biden administration has strongly denied any claims about the President’s mental health declining during his time in office.
“Many Democrats find it quite unhelpful to raise these issues now and attempt to alter this part of history,” Thompson remarked on CNN. “Several loyal aides argued in Congress that Biden made only a few errors and that Democrats were overly dramatic about the debate performance.”
He further emphasized that for a former first lady to express concern about her husband’s health this way raises serious doubts regarding her intent to reshape the narrative.
