Jill Biden recalled the immense pressure that Joe Biden faced in the aftermath of his disastrous 2024 debate performance, saying he told her “Jilly, I had no choice,” following his decision to drop out of the presidential race.
The former first lady made the comments during a Tuesday book event coinciding with the release of her new memoir, View from the East Wing. The event was held at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, and moderated by comedian and co-host of The View, Whoopi Goldberg. Former president Biden was in attendance at the event and received two standing ovations from the crowd.
Biden’s poor debate performance against Donald Trump had sparked widespread alarm among Democrats, prompting calls for him to withdraw from the race. When asked on Tuesday if she and her husband had been surprised at the response from their party, she said: “Joe and I were devastated.
“To have people who we really considered close friends come out publicly and say really terrible things about Joe … if you want to come to us and say that to us personally, that’s one thing. But to go on TV shows or out in the press or send me op-eds or whatever – it was really hurtful.”
Jill Biden says that the public outcry from Democrats is ultimately what led him to drop out of the race.
Goldberg also asked her about reports that she had encouraged her husband to stay in the race after the debate, even though others within the president’s inner circle felt differently.
“I would support Joe whether he wanted to stay in or he wanted to get out,” she said. “But the thing to me was, he had to make this decision by himself … because it was a decision he had to live with for the rest of his life.”
In a rally shortly after the June 2024 debate, Jill Biden had praised her husband’s performance, saying: “Joe, you did such a great job. You answered every question. You knew all the facts.”
However, in the book – and subsequent press tour – Biden revealed that she thought her husband was having a stroke. “That moment happened, and honest to God, it scared the hell out of me,” she said. “I thought: ‘What in God’s name is happening?’”
While Jill Biden didn’t specify which moment in the debate she was referring to, Biden memorably tried to attack Trump’s policies on tax cuts and the national debt, but mangled the line and instead declared: “We finally beat Medicare.” His team later clarified that he had meant to say his administration had “beat big pharma”, but the misspeak crystallised longstanding concerns about the then-81-year-old’s mental acuity and physical condition.
“It was one of those moments to me that was just inexplicable,” she said during the event.
During the conversation, Goldberg asked Biden if she was still angry about the way the president was treated following his debate flub. “No, I’m not angry,” she said. “What’s the purpose of anger now?”
“I think Joe’s cancer diagnosis really puts life into perspective,” she added. Biden’s office announced in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer which had metastasized to his bones.
The conversation between Goldberg and the former first lady also touched on the scrutiny that the family has endured, specifically their son Hunter Biden. “It’s hard for me to say this, but Hunter was a drug addict,” she said. “It was a really hard time for our family to go through.”
“So many families in America deal with addiction. And I’m sorry that I didn’t talk about it a little bit more,” she said. Hunter Biden posted on Twitter/X earlier on Tuesday that he was celebrating seven years of sobriety, writing: “Thank you to everyone who walked this road with me.”
In addition to his struggles with substance abuse, Hunter has also run into legal trouble over the years. He was found guilty in June 2024 on three felony counts relating to his purchase of a handgun in 2018. He had written on his gun-purchase form, falsely, that he was not a user of illicit drugs. He also pleaded guilty to nine federal tax charges in 2024, opting for an “open” plea, where a defendant pleads guilty to the charges and leaves his sentencing fate in the hands of the judge.
After previously saying that he would not use his executive authority to pardon his son, the president issued “a full and unconditional” pardon to Hunter covering his convictions on federal gun and tax charges shortly before he left office. In her memoir, Biden defended her husband’s decision.
“The current president kept saying that he wanted retribution, and he kept pounding it and pounding it,” she said. “So we couldn’t let that happen.”
