Jill Biden Admits Joe Could Have Been 'Drugged' Before Trainwreck 2024 Debate Against Trump: 'Who Knows, Right?'
Jill Biden reflected on the debate gone wrong from her husband's campaign.
Aug. 21 2026, Published 3:20 p.m. ET
Dr. Jill Biden didn't immediately write off a wild conspiracy theory about former President Joe Biden and his 2024 debate against President Donald Trump.
Joe, 83, caught the world off guard after he blubbered his way through the debate while making a bid for re-election. His wife was left looking for an explanation for Joe's awkward pauses and slow responses times, RadarOnline.com has learned. In the end, she concluded it could have been anything – including a possible laced drink.
Jill Biden Fails to Debunk 'Drugged' Theory
She responded to various theories about the messy debate.
While appearing on The Jamie Kern Lima Show, Jill, 75, was asked about the cause of her husband's trainwreck debate. At first, she acknowledged the many "theories," claiming it may have just been fatigue from traveling.
"He didn’t feel well that day when I saw him, but there was nothing definitive that I could point to," Jill said.
Lima questioned if, perhaps, he was drugged, asking if someone could have "laced his drink or something."
Jill didn't deny the option, suggesting it was too hard to know for sure.
“Who knows? Who knows, right?” she replied.
The former first lady was away from him up until an hour before the debate because she was on the campaign trail for "two weeks" prior.
Jill Claims She Was Concerned
Doctors calmed Jill down after the debate.
After the debate, physicians checked on, but drugs wasn't an option they were considering. When Joe returned to the green room, Jill explained, the doctors reassured her, "Jill, he's fine. He's okay."
She admitted to having "anxiety" after witnessing his verbal stumbles on stage, thinking there might be something more serious going on like a stroke.
Joe Biden Was Fine After the Debate
She claimed Joe attended three different events that same night.
Jill also pointed out Joe's peculiar actions were primarily just an issue for the duration of the debate. Elsewhere, including three events that same night, he "did great."
She explained, "He was fine. He got up on the stage. He made a speech. We went to the Waffle House…and, you know, greeted people. And then we went to North Carolina, got off that plane at 3:00 in the morning, and there’s a band playing, and the lights, and hundreds of supporters, and greeted them, and they were, you know, so excited, and he went around and shook everybody’s hand."
As he was still acting president at the time, Joe continued to carry out his duties, including attending a NATO conference. While he proceeded with his business, Jill struggled to make sense of his spat on the debate stage.
"That is my honest-to-God true answer. I don’t know (what happened)," she said.
Joe Revealed Cancer Diagnosis in May 2025
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The diagnosis came after the difficult debate.
Just months after he left office, Joe revealed he was suffering from cancer, but there is no direct evidence his health condition directly impacted his debate performance.
He claimed the cancer discovery happened after his tenure as president, and he was unaware of it on the campaign trail.
In May 2025, Joe's office said in a statement: "Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
"On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone. While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management."
