Why Jill Biden was 'overwhelmed' when her husband left 2024 race

Summary

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Consider This from NPR

Episode: Why Jill Biden was 'overwhelmed' when her husband left 2024 race
Date: June 4, 2026
Host: Scott Detrow

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into former First Lady Jill Biden’s reflections on the turbulent period following President Joe Biden’s widely criticized debate performance in June 2024—a moment that precipitated his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. In conversation with NPR, Jill Biden discusses her new memoir View from the East Wing, offering intimate insights into her experiences as First Lady and her family's private struggles during a period of intense political upheaval.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jill Biden's Immediate Reaction to the Debate

• Shock and Fear: Jill recalls her fear watching the debate unfold, concerned for her husband’s health:
  • "I was frightened. I was terrified. I thought, oh, my God, what's happening? Is this... a stroke? What is this?" (03:00 - Jill Biden)
• Post-Debate Relief and Medical Assessment: After the debate, she felt relief that Joe Biden recognized the poor performance and that doctors cleared him medically:
  • "...the doctors checked him out, and he said, oh, he's fine. We went on to three more events, and it was like it never even happened." (03:00-04:05 - Jill Biden)

Addressing the White House Staff Reports

• Jill firmly denies knowing of any prior incidents like the debate’s obvious lapse:
  • "Never, never... No one came to me and said, Jill, I have seen this moment at, you know, blankety blank. No one on the medical staff... ever said it to me either." (04:17 - Jill Biden)

Sensing the Shift: Party Pressure and Public Perception

• Changing Democratic Sentiment: Jill describes feeling a gradual swell of concern from Democratic leaders and supporters:
  • "It just started as... a low roar, I guess, and became a loud roar." (05:21 - Jill Biden)
• She maintained belief in Joe Biden’s capacity to serve, even as questions mounted:
  • "I did, because he was still doing his job." (05:35 - Jill Biden)

Emotional Toll of Joe Biden’s Withdrawal

• Jill details the overwhelming emotional impact of the decision, particularly the moment Joe spoke to Vice President Harris about his endorsement:
  • "I was overwhelmed. I mean... just all of it, the swirl of it all... He's my husband. I love him... At one point, it just got too much." (05:54-06:36 - Jill Biden)

Balancing Personal and Public Decision-Making

• Jill reflects on how the personal decision to leave the race had significant global implications:
  • "He was respected by world leaders... Did his personal decision affect the rest of the world? Yes, it did." (07:02 - Jill Biden)

On Vice President Harris's Campaign

• Jill expresses genuine surprise at Harris’s loss:
  • "I went to bed that night, election night, thinking she was going to win. I was shocked when I got up in the morning and somebody called me and said, 'Have you seen the news?' So I truly believe she was going to win." (08:14-08:38 - Jill Biden)

Political Fallout and Personal Pain

• Jill recounts the feelings of betrayal and hurt from former friends and supporters during the tumultuous period:
  • "It was a dark period in our lives that people we considered to be friends or supporters said such hurtful things... I never want to go through that again." (09:00-09:33 - Jill Biden)

Competing Roles: First Lady and Mother

• She describes balancing her official role with being present for her son Hunter during his trial:
  • "First and foremost, I'm Hunter's mother... but I also knew I was first lady and I was expected to carry out my duties as first lady, and I did." (09:57 - Jill Biden)

Hunter Biden’s Trial and Trump’s Election

• Jill voices concern over Hunter's fate following Trump’s victory and the perceived politicization of legal proceedings:
  • "Trump got elected. He said there was going to be retribution. He said he wanted Hunter Biden in jail... it just was not fair. And we knew what was going to happen. So that is why Joe changed his mind." (10:25-11:31 - Jill Biden)

The Reality of the First Lady’s Role

• Jill notes how the responsibilities and scrutiny intensify from Second Lady to First Lady:
  • "It was so much different... Your responsibilities are completely different. The expectations, the security, it was at a much higher level." (11:54-12:39 - Jill Biden)
• She commends her predecessors, particularly Michelle Obama, for their grace under pressure.

Advice for Future First Ladies or First Gentlemen

• "Do it your own way. I mean, be authentic to yourself... Each woman, so far, spouses have chosen their own path." (12:53-13:24 - Jill Biden)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On her initial debate fears:
  "I was frightened. I was terrified. I thought, oh, my God, what's happening? Is this a stroke? What is this?"
  — Jill Biden (03:00)

• On being overwhelmed by Joe’s withdrawal:
  "I was overwhelmed... He's my husband. I love him... At one point, it just got too much."
  — Jill Biden (05:54-06:36)

• On surprise at Vice President Harris’s loss:
  "I went to bed that night, election night, thinking she was going to win... I truly believe she was going to win."
  — Jill Biden (08:14-08:38)

• On the effect of Trump’s election for Hunter:
  "Trump got elected... he said he wanted Hunter Biden in jail... That is why Joe changed his mind."
  — Jill Biden (10:25-11:31)

• Advice for successors:
  "Do it your own way. I mean, be authentic to yourself."
  — Jill Biden (12:53)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Debate Night Reactions: 02:36–04:05
• White House Staff Rumors: 04:05–04:40
• Sensing the Party’s Shift: 04:58–05:35
• Withdrawal Announcement and Family Toll: 05:38–06:36
• Personal vs. Public Pressure: 06:48–07:41
• Harris’s Campaign Outcome: 08:07–08:38
• Political and Personal Fallout: 09:00–09:33
• Hunter Biden’s Trial & Fears under Trump: 09:33–11:31
• Reflections on the First Lady Role: 11:33–12:39
• Advice for the Next First Spouse: 12:53–13:24

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This episode offers a candid look into the emotional and political landscape surrounding President Biden’s historic decision to withdraw from the 2024 race, as told by Jill Biden herself—melding personal anguish, political realities, and unvarnished reflections for a revealing inside view.

Transcript

[Scott Detrow]

It's consider this, where every day we go deep on one big news story today, a brand new perspective on what essentially marked the beginning of the end of Joe Biden's presidency when he stepped onto the debate stage in June 2024.

[Interviewer]

Dealing with everything we have to do with look, if we finally beat Medicare.

[Scott Detrow]

The fallout from Biden's debate performance was swift. Democratic lawmakers and voters quickly called for him to drop out of the race and questioned his ability to lead the country. Several weeks later, Biden made an unprecedented decision.

[Interviewer]

President Joe Biden said today that he's dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.

[Scott Detrow]

Now former first lady Jill Biden is telling her side of the story, what she says she saw and knew about her husband's health and what others were telling her at the time.

[Jill Biden]

No one came to me and said, Jill, I have seen this moment at, you know, blankety Blank. No one came to me and said that.

[Scott Detrow]

Consider this. Plenty of people in and around the Biden administration have given their take on what went wrong with his campaign. Now we're hearing about it from the person closest to him. From npr, I'm Scott Detrow.

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[Richard Reeves]

Richard Reeves is unimpressed by online influencers who peddle ideas about hyper masculinity.

[Richard Reeves Interviewer]

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[Richard Reeves]

Ideas about the next era of manhood. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Scott Detrow]

It's consider this from npr. Jill Biden's new memoir out this week is called View from the East Wing. A lot of it details her life as first lady, memories of living in the White House, going on state visits. But she also goes into detail about why she never doubted her husband's fitness to serve as president for a second term, even after that disastrous debate performance. And that's where our conversation started.

[Interviewer]

I don't want to curse in front of a former first lady, and I definitely don't want to curse in front of a teacher.

[Jill Biden]

I'm a Philly girl. I'm used to it.

[Interviewer]

I wanted to start with what I thought was a really human moment in this book where you are walking off stage with President Biden after that debate.

[Jill Biden]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

And he turns to you and he says, I really effed up, didn't I? And you said, yes, you did.

[Jill Biden]

Yes, you did. Yeah.

[Interviewer]

Can you tell me what you were feeling as a spouse, as an American, as somebody in the room at that moment with him?

[Jill Biden]

Sure. You know, I had been in a green room, and I was watching on tv, and. And when that moment happened, I was. I mean, I was. I didn't know what to think. You know, I was frightened. I was terrified. I thought, oh, my God, what's happening? Is this. You know, is this a stroke? What is this? So when we walked off that stage, I felt relief in that moment that he realized, you know, how terribly it had gone. And. And then we met up in the car, and then the doctors checked him out, and he said, oh, he's fine.

[Interviewer]

That's what I was wondering. When you mentioned the stroke, was there a moment of, let's get him checked out and to see for sure?

[Jill Biden]

Well, there was a moment when the doctors, they were watching, too. I mean, he had a whole team of doctors around him, so I knew that they were going to check him out. But then, Scott, we went on to three more events, and he was. I mean, it was like it never even happened. And so when people say to me, what happened in that moment? I don't know.

[Interviewer]

Since the first excerpts of this book came out and since you've done a few interviews, there have been some reports of White House staffers in the administration saying, we had seen other moments like that. You had never seen another moment like that?

[Jill Biden]

Never, Never. And you know what, Scott? No one came to me and said, jill, I have seen this moment at, you know, blankety blank. No one came to me and said that. No one on the medical staff who were traveling with him. When these supposed White House people said this, they never said it to me either.

[Interviewer]

How quickly did you all realize how much of a shift was taking place around you? The opinions and the views of the Biden family versus other Democratic leaders who suddenly felt very concerned about the president still being in the race?

[Jill Biden]

I would say I got out on the campaign trail and it was mixed. I mean, a lot of people were saying, he's got to stay in. He's got to stay in. So I think it was. What was it, three weeks after the debate that Joe got out? Was it three weeks? And it just started as a, you know, this low roar, I guess, and became a loud roar.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. And you write that on one hand, you knew this had to be his decision.

[Jill Biden]

Absolutely.

[Interviewer]

But on the other hand, you really felt he was the best position person. You still felt that in that moment of that summer.

[Jill Biden]

I did, because he was still doing his job.

[Interviewer]

When he did make that announcement, you write in a lot of detail about that day, and you write about the phone call that he had with Vice President Harris that morning, and you say that when she was talking to him about when and how he would endorse her, you had to leave the room.

[Jill Biden]

I was overwhelmed. I mean, it was, you know, just all of it, the swirl of it all. You know, how was he going to do it? When was he going to do it? What were the steps? What was the process? It was overwhelming. And, Scott, you have to remember, you know, he's my husband. I love him. And to watch what he was going through and to think, I mean, he's been in public service. We've both been in public service for 50 years. That's a long time. And at one point, it just. It just got too much.

[Interviewer]

So it wasn't necessarily that you thought she was doing anything wrong. It was just the moment.

[Jill Biden]

No, it was just. I was overcome.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Yeah. Can I ask about how you thought about the balance of personal versus public? Because these were personal decisions. This was his career, his life.

[Jill Biden]

That's correct.

[Interviewer]

But when he's the President of the United States, any personal decision has national, international implications. How did you and he think about a personal decision and how it affected the rest of the world if that entered the equation?

[Jill Biden]

Oh, my gosh. Well, I think. I mean, he was a figure on the national stage, on the global stage. He was respected by world leaders. And I have to say, all the leaders came up to me. Jill, tell the president, please tell him I was asking for him what a great leader they had nothing but good to say about. I mean, Joe strengthened NATO. Look at. Look what a great job he did. I mean, we were so respected as a global leader. And. And so did his personal decision affect the rest of the world? Yes, it did.

[Interviewer]

You know, Vice President Harris wrote in her book that she felt like she could have had a better chance if she had more time to run. And I'm wondering what your response is to that thinking of, should President Biden made that decision earlier, if he was going to make that decision, could he have helped his vice president?

[Jill Biden]

I'm not a political pundit. I'm not. I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. And that's my answer.

[Interviewer]

When I covered the campaign, when I covered the White House. I was one of the.

[Jill Biden]

Oh, may I say, though, I did think she was going to win.

[Interviewer]

You did? So you were surprised?

[Jill Biden]

Absolutely.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Jill Biden]

I mean, I campaigned all over the country for her, and I saw the enthusiasm, I saw the excitement. And I went to bed that night, election night, thinking she was going to win. I was shocked when I got up in the morning and somebody called me and said, have you seen the news? So I truly believe she was going to win.

[Interviewer]

I know you say you're not a political figure, but you know a lot about politics. You know a lot more about politics.

[Jill Biden]

I've lived it.

[Interviewer]

But given that, have you thought, do you have a sense of why you think America wanted to put President Trump back in the White House in that moment?

[Jill Biden]

I have no idea.

[Interviewer]

Yeah. Knowing how it all played out, if you could tell yourself anything during that 2023, 2024 period, is there anything you tell yourself?

[Jill Biden]

You know, Scott, after what we went through, it was really hurtful. I think it was a dark period in our lives that people we considered to be friends or supporters said such hurtful things. And so to look back, it wasn't just me and Joe. Look at our grandkids, you know, seeing them go through that and how hurt they were. No, I never want to go through that again.

[Interviewer]

There's a chapter in this book about a really intense week of your life, the week where you were shuttling back and forth between official duties as first lady in France and Hunter's trial. Why was it so important to you to be in both places that week to do this? I remember seeing the schedule and thinking, how can she do this? You're in France, you're back in Delaware. You're in France, you're in Delaware. Why did you feel like you had to be both places?

[Jill Biden]

Well, first and foremost, I'm Hunter's mother, and of course I was going to be there for him, but I also knew I was first lady and I was expected to carry out my duties as first lady, and I did.

[Interviewer]

You wrote at the end of that chapter, in the end, working so hard to be impartial, we guaranteed that Hunter

[Scott Detrow]

would meet the worst possible fate.

[Interviewer]

Can you tell me more about how you thought about all of that?

[Jill Biden]

Well, I think, you know, the process was just so unfair to Hunter, and in trying to be so impartial, Joe, you know, not interfering with the Justice Department. But then Trump got elected. He said there was going to be retribution. He said he wanted Hunter Biden in jail, and there just was no way

[Interviewer]

he would have been sentenced before Trump came back into office. So can you tell me more about what specifically you were worried about? About what Hunter's fate could look like with a President Trump compared to a President Harris?

[Jill Biden]

Oh, my gosh. Well, I don't really know, but I certainly don't think it would have been fair under Trump. And then when he heard Trump on the TV over and over and over saying, you know, Hunter Biden should be in jail, Hunter Biden, you know, that he was going to make sure that our son went to jail, it just was not fair. And we knew what was going to happen. So that is why Joe changed his mind.

[Interviewer]

He truly changed his mind.

[Jill Biden]

He truly changed his mind.

[Interviewer]

You had about a close of a view of the role of first lady as you could get. I think before you got it, you're Second lady for eight years. You were a Senate spouse for a long period of time. What?

[Jill Biden]

Yes, long time. We're not gonna go into ages here, but I guess.

[Interviewer]

What about that role was different than you thought it was?

[Jill Biden]

Oh, my God, it was so much different because I thought, oh, second lady's gonna be just like first lady, you know, maybe a little bit harder. But it is completely different. Your responsibilities are completely different. The expectations, the security, it was at a much higher level. I saw Michelle go through it and did such a beautiful job with such grace and poise and, you know, being. I mean, she was a Senate spouse, too, but we were both working women. Michelle and I were so we weren't like part of the Washington fabric. I was in Delaware, she was in Chicago. And to see her thrown into it and how beautifully she did, I mean, it was amazing.

[Interviewer]

What's your advice to President Trump's term? Limited. Either way, there's going to be a new person coming into that job in a couple years. What's your advice, Democrat or Republican, man or woman, what's your advice to that next first lady or first gentleman about what to expect?

[Jill Biden]

Do it your own way. I mean, be authentic to yourself. I think every first lady comes into office and has whatever she has determined she's wanted to work on. I had what I wanted to work on. Everyone does it differently. Barbara Bush did it differently than Laura Bush. Hillary Clinton did it differently than Michelle. I mean, Melania is doing it differently. It's her way. So each woman, so far, spouses have chosen their own path.

[Interviewer]

Former First Lady Jill Biden. Her new book is the View from the East Wing. Thank you so much for talking to us.

[Jill Biden]

Oh, you're welcome. Thank you for having me on.

[Scott Detrow]

Thanks for listening to Consider this. And before we go, I will plug another podcast because that is where you can watch the entire conversation with Jill Biden. It's NPR's Newsmakers podcast. You can follow or subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or wherever you watch your podcasts. This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam and edited by Ashley Brown with audio engineering by Sina Lofredo. Our interim executive producer is Courtney Daniel. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Scott Detrow.

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NPR's newest podcast is where you can find NPR's biggest interviews. I'm Steve Inskeep. The program is called Newsmakers. We talk with some of the most powerful and influential people at this moment to put real questions to them and push for real answers. Follow Newsmakers on the NPR app or any podcast player. Or you can watch on NPR's YouTube channel.

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