Former First Lady Jill Biden has been touring the country promoting her new book, "View from the East Wing: A Memoir," and promoting a number of falsehoods in the process.

Following a tumultuous four years in the White House with near-constant criticism and suspicion of a president's declining mental acuity, the wife of Joe Biden has made a number of comments during her multi-stop excursion that have raised eyebrows, covering everything from the president's physical and cognitive condition, her relationship with former Vice President Kamala Harris, and his final pardons before departing 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  

From debate stage to Waffle House instead of hospital

The most glaring whoppers pertain to the former president's health, which the First Lady addressed on a number of occasions. In a CBS interview Sunday, Biden told interviewer Rita Braver, "I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never. I don't know what happened. As I watched, I thought, 'oh my God, he's having a stroke.' And it scared me to death."

That statement would normally insinuate a spouse's dire concern about her husband. When someone is suspected of having a stroke, they typically undergo a rapid FAST screening (Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call emergency services) followed by an urgent non-contrast CT scan of the brain in the hospital emergency department or radiology suite.

However, following the debate that night, instead of insisting he go to the hospital or undergo tests, the first couple went to an Atlanta Waffle House. 

The debate Biden is referring to took place on June 27, 2024. Prior to the debate, there were already multiple instances that pointed to a sharp decline in the president's health. 

In June 2022, Biden fell off his bicycle while riding near his Delaware beach home, an event quickly attributed to a mechanical issue but fueling broader questions about his stability. A year later in 2023, Biden tripped and fell onstage at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado after catching his foot on a sandbag, requiring assistance to get up. He later joked about being “sandbagged,” but the video circulated widely.  

Special Counsel: An “elderly man with a poor memory” 

Perhaps the most damning, however, was Special Counsel Robert Hur’s February 2024 report on classified documents that described Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory” and “diminished faculties,” while Biden made notable gaffes, such as mixing up deceased European leaders (e.g., Helmut Kohl and François Mitterrand) with living ones in campaign remarks, and at one rally asked a wheelchair bound supporter to "stand up and take a bow."

These episodes, alongside other verbal and physical slips, intensified scrutiny of his fitness for office well before the June 2024 debate.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Legacy media largely covered up the issue, with MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough saying Joe Biden was at his “best” in 2024, and that "this version of Biden, intellectually, analytically, is the best Biden ever.”

Presidential Pardons explained away by a (not) changing DOJ

On December 1, 2024, Hunter Biden's presidential father swooped in and issued a full and unconditional pardon covering all federal offenses (charged and uncharged) from January 1, 2014, through December 1, 2024. 

On multiple occasions, both Jill and Joe Biden insisted he would not pardon his son Hunter Biden, who was the target of multiple active criminal investigations involving his tax affairs, foreign business dealings, gun charges and related matters. 

Hunter had already been convicted on federal gun charges in Delaware, pleaded guilty to nine tax counts (felonies and misdemeanors) in a California case and was facing a mid-December sentencing date for the respective cases. 

However, during an interview Monday morning, Jill Biden told The Today Show, "I did support it, of course. I’m his mother,” she said. 

"Joe wasn’t thinking about himself. He said all along that he was not going to pardon Hunter, but then the administration changed. The process was not fair to Hunter. The current president won, and the Justice Department changed. It became political."

That isn't true. In fact, the Department of Justice did not change until nearly two months later with the incoming of the new administration. 

Palace intrigue with Kamala Harris

In her 2026 memoir, Biden portrays a complex but ultimately functional relationship with the former vice president, recounting post-debate tensions in the weeks following the June debate where Harris pressed aggressively, like a “courtroom prosecutor,” for the president’s immediate endorsement after he dropped out.  

She frames their dynamic as marked by loyalty amid challenges, consistent with public displays of unity during the Biden presidency. 

Biden's narrative, however, conflicts with longstanding allegations of deeper friction: Jill reportedly opposed Harris as VP pick in 2020, asking “Why do we have to choose someone who attacked Joe?” after Harris’ 2019 debate criticism of busing, and was said to have angrily told supporters, “Go f*** yourself” regarding Harris. 

Multiple books and reports depict mutual resentments, staff distrust, and a “frosty” personal rapport, revealing private strains beneath the administration’s outward harmony.

Amanda Head is White House Correspondent for Just The News. You can find her here.