Jill Biden is standing by her husband’s record in office, but she now admits there is one thing she would not want to relive.
In an interview with NBC’s “Today” ahead of the release of her memoir, “View from the East Wing,” the former first lady said she would not encourage Joe Biden to put himself through another presidential campaign if given the chance to do it over again.
“Would I want to put Joe through the hurt and the pain that we felt during that time? Never, never. I mean, it was so hurtful,” she said.
Still, Jill Biden emphasized that the decision to seek a second term ultimately belonged to the former president.
“It had to be his decision alone,” she said, adding that doctors had determined he was healthy enough to continue serving.
The comments come as scrutiny surrounding Joe Biden’s age and condition during the 2024 campaign continues to follow the former president.
Jill Biden defended her husband’s performance in office, arguing that critics overlooked the work he was doing behind the scenes.
“I saw him doing the job every single day, every single day. He got up, he went into the office, he did the job,” she said. “I saw him work hours into the night.”
The former first lady acknowledged that Biden, who was 81 during the campaign, had slowed somewhat and occasionally struggled more with his longtime stutter.
But she insisted those moments reflected fatigue rather than cognitive decline.
“Was he slowing down a little bit when he got tired?” she asked. “Did he stutter a little bit at night? Yeah, sure. But he was still doing the job, and he was doing a good job.”
The issue exploded into public view during the June 27, 2024, presidential debate against Donald Trump, when Biden repeatedly stumbled over answers and appeared visibly frail on stage.
In her memoir, Jill Biden reveals she was alarmed by what she witnessed that night.
She writes that she feared her husband might be suffering a stroke as he struggled to respond during the CNN debate.
The admission stands in contrast to the public posture she adopted immediately afterward.
Following the debate, Jill Biden joined the then-president for a stop at an Atlanta Waffle House and later praised his performance at a campaign event.
“Joe — you did such a great job,” she told supporters at the time.
Now, nearly two years later, the former first lady is offering a more candid look at what she says was one of the most difficult chapters of their political lives.
Watch the clip below:
NBC’s Craig Melvin: “You were his closest confidante. You're described as Joe’s gut check. If you could go back in a time machine and do it all over again, would you have encouraged him, maybe to not run again?”
Jill Biden: “You know, as I look back, would I want to put Joe… pic.twitter.com/vQxGeG9O7H
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 1, 2026
