Jill Biden said doctors told her Joe Biden was "okay" the night of the June 2024 debate, after podcast host Jamie Kern Lima asked whether a stroke had been ruled out.
On the same podcast, she again floated uncertainty about what caused his disastrous performance, saying "Who knows?" when asked whether his drink could have been laced and calling the episode an "aberration."
Her comments build on memoir excerpts in which she wrote she feared Joe Biden was "having a stroke" as he stammered, fell silent and appeared confused during the debate that helped trigger pressure to quit the race.
The renewed debate has drawn backlash inside the Democratic Party, with former Biden spokesperson Andrew Bates questioning why the episode was being reopened as the party still associates the Bidens with 2024's painful loss to Donald Trump.
Joe Biden is expected to publish his own presidency memoir in November, after the midterm elections, extending scrutiny of the final stretch of his administration.