Jill Biden says she thought husband was 'having a stroke' during 2024 debate

[Shrek]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99l270vy3no

Former US First Lady Jill Biden says she thought her husband, President Joe Biden, was having a stroke during his infamously faltering presidential debate in 2024.

"I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never," Jill Biden told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

"I don't know what happened," she said. "As I watched it, I thought, 'Oh, my God, he's having a stroke.' And it scared me to death."

President Biden faced intense pressure from fellow Democrats to step down as their candidate after a poor debate performance against then-Republican candidate Donald Trump. Biden ultimately dropped out of the race and endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

The former first lady's interview with CBS News Sunday Morning's Rita Braver will air on Sunday.

[lame54]

1. I was having a stroke too

[JBTaurus83]

2. I just thought "we're fucked".

[Dave says]

52. Me too

First words out of my mouth were, “we lost”. That was just minutes into it.

[sop]

3. Imagine what Melania must be going through every time her husband opens his mouth.

She's probably not scared, more like "God, please...let this be the one."

[maxsolomon]

4. Yes but whatabouting is not helpful here.

That debate was excruciating, and now we live with the consequences of Biden's choices.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

11. That wasn't "whataboutism."

President Biden didn't choose Piggy. That's crap.

[Tommy Carcetti]

16. That's absurd.

If Biden had literally suffered a stroke and rendered bedridden, he’d still have legitimately a better candidate than Trump.

Millions of people in this country would have been more qualified to serve as President than Trump. Myself included, and I say that with no pride whatsoever.

[mr715]

23. To imagine what Melania is going through is a paradox

I might as well empathize with my faucet.

Melania, to borrow and paraphrase, doesn't really care do u


And, as Kimmel said, she very much has the expectant widow glow. If she weren't a construct of ice and sorrow.

[Pinback]

33. "Ice and sorrow."

Great title for her biopic.

[mr715]

35. Wears designer coats to keep the cold in.

[Irish_Dem]

5. I wonder if we will ever find out what happened.

He was fine the day before and the day after.

Something very odd.

[yellow dahlia]

9. In real time I thought TIA.

I have formulated another potential theory, subsequently. What about the device that disrupts brain functions? It could be responsible for incidents like the Havana syndrome. It is a secret weapon which became public in the past year.

It would explain the bizarre incident. Here is an article about the device.
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/us-tests-russian-microwave-weapon-havana-syndrome-1784021

[mr715]

10. Another conspiracy theory?

No, he was not hit by directed infrasonic waves.

He just fucked up.

[yellow dahlia]

12. Speculation and conspiracy theory are not the same thing.

I was very cautious to ask a question and posit a possibility, as opposed to making an absolute statement.

You made an absolute statement. What if you're wrong?

I absolutely do not think Joe Biden merely "fucked up". It was a transitory episode. It could have been a medical episode, or it could have been something else. I still don't know.

[mr715]

13. You suggested that Biden was being hit by a directed energy weapon

to explain his debate performance.

That is absurd. Truly. Like, I'm sorry, but if you are entertaining that as a "plausible scenario" I suggest you reevaluate.

And it wasn't a transitory episode. Biden negotiated 1 debate, very early in the season. He was being framed as old of it and frail. Because he looked old and frail. And he was not nearly as press-forward as he had been early in his career.

He had one job - not to fuck up the debate, and he did. No speculation there.

Incidentally, he also had STAGE FOUR cancer which had spread to his bones after the election was over.

Let's not add Havana syndrome to the mix. He is old. He isn't the debater he was in 2020 and certainly not the one he was in 2008.

[EdmondDantes_]

25. The baseless conspiracy theories are exhausting

I couldn't imagine going through life thinking black helicopters are behind everything that goes wrong. We apparently have absolutely zero agency and we only win elections when they forget to cheat or something.

[mr715]

27. The truth is a cold and lonely place.

The truth is where people we consider good end up complicated.

The truth is where the country we love turns out to not love us back.

The only good thing about the truth is that it is the truth.

[yellow dahlia]

45. I'm sticking with my assessment.

Either a TIA or a secret device that can target brain function. Let's ask Miles Taylor what he thinks of the possibility.

[mr715]

46. Was the Secret Service in on it?

[yellow dahlia]

47. They wouldn't need to be.

[mr715]

48. And this direct energy weapon was purchased by the Trump campaign?

[yellow dahlia]

49. If it was used, I do not know who provided it.

It could have been Pootin. He is likely to possess the capability.

Did you read the article from Reuters, which I provided? There is evidence that Russia possesses the technology.

I do not enjoy futile back and forth baiting. It's a waste of my time and energy. You have a different style of engagement than I do. Have a good night.

[mr715]

51. Have a good night as well

[tintinvotes]

63. Yes

They bragged about using one when they kidnapped Maduro.

[mr715]

64. So, someone in the Biden DOD sold it to the Trump campaign?

And again, are we assigning any blame to the Secret Service for the PRESIDENT of the United States getting shot with a beam?

[Polybius]

15. I think the issues were just age-related

He was 80. The 2012 Biden that destroyed Paul Ryan was a completely different person.

[Chemical Bill]

36. Please cite a source for your statement. n/t

[mr715]

39. Me? Why should I cite a source?

I can't prove Santa doesn't exist.

[Chemical Bill]

55. I can prove that I never had sex with Jayne Mansfield.

I bet you could make a case about Santa.

Be that as it may, you made a definitive statement, and definitive statements require proof, so please cite your source.

[mr715]

56. That Biden fucked up?

Trump is President.


And to your point, *I* can't prove who you haven't slept with. That isn't how logic works. I can't prove a negative and am under no obligation to cite sources when I am not making the extraordinary claim.

I'm saying that history happened how it happened. Biden wasn't hit by a brain laser. He wasn't psychically controlled by Professor X. He wasn't on LSD.

He simply performed terribly at a debate.

[Chemical Bill]

59. That's a valid opinion.

In the sea of valid opinions that exist.

[EdmondDantes_]

61. Yeah but the made up out of thin air conspiracy theories aren't in the sea of valid opinions.

I could just as easily say Martians did it and when told that's rather silly, you certainly can't prove there aren't Martians so my theory must be equally valid to any other. We should be better than the same baseless conspiracy theories that vaccines cause autism, the Jewish space lasers, the moon landing was faked, etc.

[Irish_Dem]

17. Bingo. Exactly what I suspect.

Either that or drugged.

We are supposed to believe that neither Trump nor Putin would stoop to these tactics.
Putin does far worse to his enemies.

Both Putin and Trump were facing prison and bankruptcy if Trump did not get into the WH.

Yes these devices are portable and transported by car.
Other WH officials in the past have been hit with them.

[yellow dahlia]

38. I wondered about drugged, but he was fine a few minutes later.

[Ms. Toad]

19. That impacted one and only one person?

Are you seriously suggested that such a device impacted Biden, but not Trump?

[mr715]

20. Maybe Elon's satellites have great aim.

When they aren't busy exploding or otherwise randomly failing.

[Ms. Toad]

21. .

[yellow dahlia]

40. As I understand it the device can be targeted.

There are reports from several individuals about the phenomenon known as the Havana syndrome, including Miles Taylor and Olivia Troye.

[tintinvotes]

62. ??

I just read an article about a journalist who was investigating Epstien's Zorro Ranch who fled the US after a microwave weapon was used on her, and the Trump Adm bragged about using one when they kidnapped Maduro.

[Polybius]

14. But was he though?

Or did many just have blinders on, since his 2024 SOTU was exceptional? I said at the time that he was still brilliant with reading and delivering a speech, but live questioning is a whole different thing.

[Irish_Dem]

18. His mental status was bad, very bad that night.

And he was fine the day before and day after.

I have extensive training and experience in evaluating mental status.
I was shocked at his performance.

My comments hold even if the type of events were different.

[Chemical Bill]

37. He was fine at the rally just after the debate.

That's what makes one wonder.

[mr715]

41. Makes one wonder what?

[Chemical Bill]

53. Correct. n/t

[yellow dahlia]

42. Exactly. At first I thought he was overtired, and his handlers had over worked him,

and over prepared him. But then it was like he was in another dimension.

I am still saying - TIA or secret "device". One can appear to recover quickly from a TIA.

There was nothing close to normal about it, at the time. I was literally screaming out loud - WTF! WTF!

[popsdenver]

24. He suffered typical response of someone

Being "Gish Galloped", a stunning bewilderment at being totally overwhelmed by the Rhetoric of a Debate opponent......

An age old technique designed to just have that effect on your opponent. Plus Biden was extremely tired from a trip to Europe and meetings there....that he had just returned from......

Google: Gish Gallop...............Biden's people who prepared him for debate should have prepared him for it, and how to defend against it...

[Irish_Dem]

26. Biden is a seasoned politician with decades of experience.

I don't buy that someone like Trump rattled him.
And that he was surprised by it.

Nope.

And as you say his aides would have practiced with him Trump style.

Also Biden's mental status was much worse than just being rattled.
He was impaired.

[yellow dahlia]

43. Yup - impaired.

One of us is licensed to diagnose, and I am just an amateur.

[canetoad]

28. Hadn't he just returned

From a long flight or overseas trip?

[mr715]

29. He had spent the week "preparing" at Camp David, I believe.

[canetoad]

30. Thanks nt

[mr715]

31. No problem, but check me.

I'm not sure. After the debate, one of the narratives was he was at NATO summits and was jetlagged, that he was sick, that he caught covid, etc. etc.

I remember hearing the news talkers saying how he was furiously doing debate prep for his one big debate. I distinctly remember Fox and right wing folks saying they anticipated he would use adderall or cocaine to seem more energetic and were actively lowering expectations for Trump.

It was a tough time.

[EdmondDantes_]

50. He got back to the US 12 days before the debate

[Niagara]

6. There was an abundance of gas being blown out the TSF's ass during that debate as well

It was so bad, that Joe Biden heard it and he raised his eyebrows at one point.

The stench coming from TSF's ass probably paralyzed Joe Biden.

That debate is in the archives and anyone can hear TSF shitting his pants.

Disclaimer: I work with the elderly and sometimes accidents happen but those accidents don't happen due to years of drug abuse. Noel Casler worked with the TSF during The Apprentice and said TSF shit his pants due to years of drug abuse.

[mr715]

7. Yeah, it was bad.

He should've immediately dropped out after that debate.

[Chasstev365]

8. I almost threw up and then went for a very long walk.

Why Joe didn't say to Trump, "you're not fit to be president because you tried to overthrow the government witn your MAGA goons" is beyond me. I would have hammered that point over and over again!

[SocialDemocrat61]

22. Biden never should have agreed to that debate

just on the choice of anchors. CNN's two most right wing and anti-Biden hosts who refused to fact check Trump.

[senseandsensibility]

44. At the time many even in the corporate media were saying he shouldn't debate

He shouldn't dignify him with a debate. In retrospect, that would have been wise.

[Melon]

54. He was the President. At the end of the day, he needed to handle

It. It wasn’t fact checking that killed him, he was confusing Trillion with Billions and Millions, and then ended the sentence by saying “We finally beat Medicare.” Which didn’t fit into any part of the topic.

Biden came across as everything he was defending against the previous weeks regarding his age. The top guy needs to be able to handle a debate not avoid it. It just didn’t happen.

[videohead5]

32. According to his son Hunter

His dad was taking Ambien a few days before the debate. That could have very much been the cause. It decreases mental alertness.

[mr715]

34. Ambien is out of your system in 6 hours.

If he was being given ambien immediately before a debate, it is malpractice. It is a sleeping pill.

He should have been given espresso.

[Chemical Bill]

57. Funny how the media was not fixated on TSF's lies. n/t

[Ponietz]

58. Totally in character for shithead's minions to covertly drug Biden

[bluestarone]

60. I'm in Jills corner. SHE would know something is off, more than anyone here!