Trump responded to Jill Biden's feelings about the infamous debate.
Trump Erupts After Jill Biden’s Bombshell About Biden’s Debate Meltdown
May 29 2026, Published 12:28 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump criticized former first lady Jill Biden after she expressed concern that former President Joe Biden might have had a stroke during his poor debate performance in June 2024.
Trump responded on Friday in a Truth Social post after Jill Biden shared her feelings about the debate in a CBS News interview and in excerpts from her upcoming memoir, View From the East Wing.
President Trump goes on Truth Social to hit back at former First Lady Jill Biden.
The debate took place on June 27, 2024. It became a critical moment in Biden’s unsuccessful reelection campaign, leading to a crisis within the Democratic Party that resulted in him exiting the race weeks later.
Jill Biden told CBS News that she felt scared as she watched her husband struggle against Trump during the debate.
“I was frightened because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” she said.
“I don’t know what happened,” she added. “As I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.”
Trump jumped on her comments, accusing Jill Biden of not intervening during the debate. He also took the opportunity to highlight his own performance.
“She said that she thought he was having a ‘stroke’ and various other really bad things, yet never rushed onto the stage to help her troubled husband as any good wife would do,” Trump wrote.
“The only thing she failed to mention was how well I was doing prior to his near total collapse,” he added.
Trump then speculated that Biden’s struggles had more to do with the pressure of facing him than any medical issue.
“In other words, as many have asked, did my strong performance in that debate cause him to simply ‘choke,’ leading to his embarrassing defeat, or were other reasons the cause?” Trump wrote. “Nobody else knows the answer to that, BUT I DO!!!”
The June 2024 debate in Atlanta hurt Biden’s support among Democratic officials, donors, and voters. At 81, Biden appeared hoarse, lost his train of thought multiple times, and had difficulty answering some questions clearly.
His campaign initially blamed the performance on a cold and dismissed calls for him to withdraw.
Jill Biden defended him right after the debate. At a campaign event later, she commended him for answering questions and demonstrating knowledge.
Jill Biden believes Joe Biden had a stroke during his disaster debate that ended his campaign.
Her recent comments have brought renewed focus on the weeks following the debate, when pressure on Biden from Democrats grew.
Ultimately, Biden withdrew from the presidential race in July 2024 and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
CBS News reported that Jill Biden talked about the debate, the election, her husband, and her book during an interview set to air on CBS Sunday Morning. Her memoir is expected to reflect on the last months of Biden’s presidency and the results of his decision to run for a second term.
The Independent reported that Jill Biden also wrote in an excerpt published by USA Today that her husband “lost himself” on the debate stage.
These statements come as Democrats still discuss how Biden’s reelection campaign fell apart and whether party leaders reacted quickly enough after the debate. Some Democrats are eager to move on from the 2024 race as the party looks toward the next election cycle.
However, Trump has continued to use Biden’s debate performance as political leverage. His recent attack shows that the 2024 debate remains a hot topic nearly two years later.