Jill Biden feared Joe was 'having a stroke' during debate

Former US first lady Jill Biden says in an upcoming interview that her husband's disastrous 2024 US presidential election debate performance against Donald Trump was so alarming, she thought he was having a stroke on stage.

"I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never," she told 'CBS News Sunday Morning' as part of an interview to be broadcast this weekend.

"I don't know what happened," she said in a clip released last night.

Ms Biden added: "As I watched it, I thought, 'Oh, my God, he's having a stroke.' And it scared me to death."

In the debate, then 81-year-old president Joe Biden stumbled on his words, stared open-mouthed and lost his train of thought as he struggled to counter his bombastic rival.

Yet immediately after the debate, Ms Biden praised her husband's performance, telling him in front of a crowd of supporters: "Joe, you did such a great job. You answered every question; you knew all the facts."

Mr Biden's debate performance sparked intense concern within the Democratic Party over his evident decline, ultimately leading to his exit from the White House race in favour of then-vice president Kamala Harris.

Ms Harris then lost to Mr Trump following an abbreviated campaign.