Jill Biden’s new book says doctors examined Joe Biden in the moments right after his June 2024 debate with Donald Trump — not “days” later, as the Biden administration had previously told the public.
The former first lady writes that she feared Biden had suffered a stroke after watching his performance that night. That fear, she says, prompted an immediate medical check. The administration’s earlier account had placed that exam well after the debate.
The gap between those two timelines is the core of what her book reveals. It wasn’t a minor scheduling difference — she describes a scene of real alarm backstage, with concerns serious enough to call in doctors on the spot.
Biden’s halting performance at that debate — held June 27, 2024, in Atlanta — set off months of pressure within the Democratic Party for him to exit the race. He withdrew from the 2024 presidential campaign in July of that year, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
The administration’s earlier claim that the medical review came “days” after the debate had largely gone unchallenged until now. Jill Biden’s account, drawn from her own book, directly contradicts it.
NPR reported the book’s details on Monday, June 2, 2026. The title of the book wasn’t included in the report.
Reporting by NPR. Read the original report.
