An insight into Jill Biden's new memoir
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance.
Jill Biden has released her memoir in which she recalls the immense pressure that Joe Biden faced in the aftermath of his disastrous 2024 presidential debate performance. And while some have welcomed the book, others say it has done the Biden family and the Democratic Party more harm than good. Well, journalist Hillary McGahn has just finished this book and she joins me now. Hello, Hillary. Good morning, Clare. How are you? I'm good, but I was really surprised to read quotes from some of those who were really at the heart of the Biden administration at the time saying, why do this now?
What key events does Jill Biden recall in her memoir?
Why say these things now? And they were particularly critical of Jill when she says in the book that she felt that Joe maybe had had a stroke on the stage. Take us through some of the reaction, first of all, and then we'll talk about what you thought of it.
Yes, well, listen, it's the most talked about book in the US this week, without a doubt. I expect it to be on all the bestsellers next week. And I have to say, I listened to the book in one day. It's a very easy listen and it's fascinating. It's also, I always find it really interesting to hear from the perspective of somebody that was in the White House at the time. There's been so many books covered about that last presidential election. This is the first time we're hearing directly from someone the former first lady, Jill Biden, on what she thought.
How has the memoir been received by critics and supporters?
It's been reported about and speculated about many times how she felt at the time. And you're right, this has opened old wounds amongst a lot of Democrats. And she writes in the book that she thought during that infamous June 2024 debate that her husband, President Biden, was having a medical event. She later said in an interview that she thought it was specifically that he might have been having a stroke. And a lot of Democrats are now saying, well, why is there such a discrepancy between what you're saying now that you felt at the time and how the reaction was? And I'm not just talking about in the immediate aftermath of the debate. You're not going to. And I can understand and I can appreciate as a wife, you're not going to get out there publicly and say it was a bad night.
However, we do have to remember that there was nearly a month that went by of them hanging on and saying, I'm staying in the race. I'm going to run. I can do a second term in office. before he ultimately, after a lot of pressure from Democrats, stepped out of the race. And so there's a lot of anger of saying, you know, you told us everything was fine and it clearly wasn't.
What surprising quotes did Jill Biden include about Joe's debate performance?
Yeah. And it makes no sense to say now that she thought maybe he'd had a medical emergency or a stroke because straight after the debate, didn't he go and do a photo shoot at a Waffle House? And then there was a rally after that. Now, if you thought your husband had had a stroke, you'd be getting medical help for him immediately. So it leaves you questioning whether she's a reliable witness to all of this.
Look, I think the overall theme, what I came away from the book here is thinking the overall theme here is a marriage of a lot of love, but I think a lot of naivety as well. And they seem to prioritize, the Biden family seems to be very tight knit, but they seem to prioritize loyalty over everything else. And, you know, Jill Biden does do some retrospective thinking and she, you know, she does look and say, was this a case that people were scared to tell us the truth? Was I actually able to objectively look and be clear in my thoughts about my husband's ability or his aging? She talks a lot about how he had, you know, declined physically, but not mentally. And she's very clear in saying that. I think what was really interesting is that in the interview, and this isn't in the book, but in the interview, the first interview she did about this book, she says about the debate, she says, look, that was the first time I had seen him like that.
And I haven't seen him like that since. And I think that caught a lot of people by surprise.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:45
2
What key events does Jill Biden recall in her memoir?
0:45–1:31
3
How has the memoir been received by critics and supporters?
1:31–2:33
4
What surprising quotes did Jill Biden include about Joe's debate performance?
2:33–4:29
5
What does the guest think about the reactions to Jill Biden's statements?
4:29–11:37