On Thursday night, First Lady Jill Biden walked her husband, Joe Biden, off the debate stage after a debate performance that raised further questions about the president’s fitness to serve.
CNN cameras captured the 81-year-old First Lady Taking my husband’s hand Then, after his showdown with former President Donald Trump was over, they walked him slowly down three flights of stairs from the stage.
“Who’s the commander in chief?” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) posted, sharing a close-up image of Jill Biden’s assistant as the president very carefully descends a short flight of stairs.
“Amazing. I didn’t even have to watch the debate to understand. That explains it all,” tweeted tech entrepreneur Steve Kirsch.
Another X user called it a “defining” moment for Biden’s reelection hopes.
But some social media users who suffer from knee problems found the moment extremely relatable.
“I’m 60 and I can feel my knees being pressed together,” tweeted Paula Bolyard, who describes herself as a conservative in her profile.
“The problem was the previous 90 minutes,” she added.
Joe Biden, the oldest president in American history, froze up and made gaffes several times during his first debate with 78-year-old President Trump.
He had been speaking in a soft, raspy voice throughout the night, but anonymous aides blamed it on a cold.
“President Biden is a good and honorable man with much to be proud of. It’s time for him to step aside and end his run,” former New York senator and Democrat Alessandra Biaggi wrote on X after the debate.
Follow the latest updates from the Trump vs Biden 2024 debate.
CNN reporter John King opened the network’s post-debate coverage by describing “deep, widespread, very intense panic within the Democratic Party” over Biden’s struggles in the debate.
“It started a few minutes into the debate and it’s still ongoing,” he added. “It involves party strategists, elected officials, fundraisers. They’re debating the president’s performance, they think it was terrible, they think it reflects negatively on other candidates in the party, and they’re debating what to do about it.”
After the debate, the Bidens greeted supporters at a viewing party in Atlanta, with Jill telling the couple, “Joe, you did a fantastic job. You answered every question.”
“You knew all the facts,” she added.
