Jill Biden says husband “was slowing down” but wasn’t in cognitive decline

Jill Biden said she never saw signs that her husband, former President Joe Biden, was in cognitive decline, but acknowledged he was “slowing down” as he ran for reelection. 

“CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent Rita Braver asked the former first lady whether she saw signs that her husband was “falling into cognitive decline.”

“No,” Jill Biden said.

Braver cited the public’s concerns about the president’s mental acuity: “People were saying he wasn’t the same Joe Biden.”

“He was the same, the essence of the same Joe Biden, but yeah, he was slowing down. He was getting older. It’s a very intense job. I think it ages you — quickly,” Jill Biden replied, in an interview airing Sunday, May 31, on CBS.

She also said that she was “frightened” by her husband’s poor performance on stage during the 2024 presidential debate and thought he was having a stroke.

“I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,” she said. “I don’t know what happened. As I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.”

Nearly a month after the disastrous debate performance, Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race against Donald Trump, 107 days before Election Day.

Jill Biden talked about the election, her husband, her new book, “View From the East Wing: A Memoir,” and more in a wide-ranging interview.

Watch more of Jill Biden’s interview on “Sunday Morning” May 31 at 9 a.m. on CBS stations and streaming on Paramount+.