In a new interview with CBS News, former first lady Jill Biden revealed that during the disastrous 2024 debate between then-President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, she wasn't just horrified - she was frightened. Specifically, she thought her husband might be having a stroke. “I had never, ever seen Joe like that - before or since. Never,” she told interviewer Rita Braver. When pressed for details, she added: “I don’t know what happened. I mean when, as I watched it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.” The full interview airs Sunday, but the excerpts have already prompted a collective “Well, yeah” from anyone with eyes and ears.
Former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau, co-host of the Pod Save America podcast, was quick to note the delicious irony: “Those of us who agreed with Jill Biden’s actual assessment (i.e., people who could see and hear) were told by the Bidens and the campaign and the online dead-enders that we were all wildly overreacting and that his debate performance was fine -- even good!” His co-host Tommy Vietor added that the impression was unfixable and pretending otherwise was “insulting to voters.” Meanwhile, MSNBC's Akayla Gardner reminded everyone that immediately after the debate, Jill Biden stood on stage and told Joe: “You did such a great job; you answered every question, you knew all the facts!” So either she was lying then, or she's lying now - or she's just a very loyal spouse.
In other news that somehow feels like it belongs in a different article, former attorney general Pam Bondi - who was ousted by Trump in April over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files - revealed she was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She's recovering well after surgery and has been tapped by Trump for a new role: serving on the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Because nothing says “science advisor” like a former attorney general who lost her job over Epstein. “Pam has been an enormously valuable asset,” said VP JD Vance, presumably with a straight face.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump wants to rename ICE to NICE - presumably because “Immigration and Customs Enforcement” just sounds too scary, even though the agency's raids have led to multiple killings, including of US citizens, and widespread protests. At a cabinet meeting, Trump also claimed that protesters against the raids are paid actors, and that the US is producing more oil than Russia and Saudi Arabia combined - a statistic that climate activists and Indigenous communities warn could deepen the climate crisis and damage ecosystems. But hey, at least the Knicks are doing well. Trump indicated he plans to attend the NBA finals after the New York Knicks clinched their spot, thanks to an invitation from owner James Dolan. “Great to see. The Knicks have really, they’ve really suffered for years. They’re doing right now very well,” Trump said, proving that even a president can appreciate a good comeback story - when it's not about his own party.