Radio host Charlamagne tha God came out sharply against former first lady Jill Biden on Thursday after previews of her upcoming memoir revealed she was privately alarmed by President Biden's performance at his June 2024 debate against Donald Trump, even as she publicly praised him afterward.
The Atlantic obtained a copy of the memoir, titled View From the East Wing, which is set for release in early June. In it, Jill Biden revealed that she and the president both agreed that he had "f---ed up" that night. She also gave an interview to CBS News Sunday Morning that previewed on Wednesday, in which she said about watching the debate, "I don't know what happened," and added, "I mean, when I watched it, I thought, 'Oh my God, he's having a stroke,' and it scared me to death."
Charlamagne, responding to those revelations on his program, did not hold back. "Literally, donkey of the day should go to Jill Biden, the Democratic Party, Biden's inner circle, the staff, the record label, the mother effing crew and everybody who spent years telling Americans not to believe their own eyes," he said.
The debate itself was one of the most widely discussed moments of the 2024 election. Biden stammered, had long periods of silence, and displayed confused facial expressions throughout the exchange. Some of his most vocal supporters broke ranks in the aftermath and demanded he relinquish the Democratic nomination. He ultimately did withdraw from the race.
Charlamagne argued that the core issue is not Biden's age or any specific health event, but rather a pattern of dishonesty from the people around him. "This is about honesty, and Jill Biden and Democrats weren't honest, and that's one of the main reasons we are currently in the situation we are in right now," he said.
He also expressed frustration with the timing of the disclosures, saying there is too much happening now for the admissions to feel meaningful. "It's just too much going on right now for you to be confirming what so many of us already knew and said, but got crucified for it," he said.
Charlamagne connected the Biden situation to a broader list of actions he said Democrats failed to take during Biden's presidency, including eliminating the filibuster, expanding the Supreme Court, and passing voting rights legislation. He described those as steps that would have protected democracy and said the dishonesty about Biden's condition belonged on the same list.
"This is why Americans have trust issues with politicians. OK? You tell us we don't feel what we feel, and we don't see what we see," he said. "Once again, this wasn't about Biden being old, OK? It wasn't even about this debate. It was a trust issue."
The memoir's release is scheduled for early June. Jill Biden's CBS interview, which triggered much of the reaction, aired Wednesday.
