Former First Lady Jill Biden told CBS News Sunday Morning’s Rita Braver in an interview airing Sunday on CBS that she never noticed signs President Biden was having “cognitive decline” in office, but during the historic 2024 debate that triggered him dropping out of the race for re-election, she was scared because she “thought he was having a stroke.” “I wasn’t horrified, I was frightened,” she said about President Biden’s debate performance. “I scared me to death.”

INTERVIEWER: Did you ever see signs that he was falling into cognitive decline? JILL BIDEN: No. INTERVIEWER: No? JILL BIDEN: No, no. INTERVIEWER: Truly? JILL BIDEN: No. INTERVIEWER: I mean, people were saying he wasn’t the same Joe Biden. JILL BIDEN: Well, I don’t think that’s true. He was the same, the essence of the same Joe Biden. But yeah, he was slowing down. He was getting older. I mean, we all observed that. It’s a very intense job. I think it ages you quickly.

Watch more of Jill Biden’s interview on “Sunday Morning” on May 31 at 9 a.m. on CBS. Fox & Friends responded:

DEBATE DENIAL: Former First Lady Jill Biden claims she never witnessed Joe Biden struggle the way he did during his disastrous June 2024 debate performance.

But critics are pointing to a massive problem with that narrative: “there's about 1,000 people in Jake Tapper and Alex… pic.twitter.com/ELxiowviDz

– FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) May 28, 2026

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