President Donald Trump shared his perspective on the role of former first lady Jill Biden in the previous administration during an exclusive interview with Rachel Campos-Duffy on Fox Noticias this week. When asked whether he believed Jill Biden served as former President Joe Biden’s “autopen,” Trump offered a nuanced response.
“No, I don’t think so,” Trump said, “but [she] was certainly involved because he gave her the last meeting to preside over with the Cabinet.”
The president was referring to Jill Biden’s attendance at one of Biden’s final Cabinet meetings in September 2024, which sparked controversy at the time. The former first lady led much of the public portion of that meeting, fueling speculation about her influence within the administration.
Questions about Jill Biden’s role in the White House had been circulating well before the September Cabinet meeting. According to reports, she emerged as a key adviser to the president, often serving as a decisive voice behind many of his political choices.
During the Fox Noticias interview, Trump attributed the influence on the former president to broader forces within the administration rather than solely to Jill Biden. He explained that the Biden administration included many individuals he characterized as “radical left lunatics” and suggested that Biden was “perfect for them because he didn’t have a clue.”
Biden’s health and cognitive capabilities were frequent topics of discussion during his presidency. Concerns intensified following his debate performance against then-GOP presidential nominee Trump last summer, which many viewed as reinforcing questions about his mental acuity.
Some reports indicated that White House aides had been taking extensive measures to manage Biden’s schedule since the beginning of his term. According to one account, staff limited his public appearances, altered his schedule, and restricted in-person interactions to accommodate what was described as a limited window of optimal function. These claims have been refuted by the White House, which maintained that Biden was fully engaged with his cabinet and officials.
Several recently released books have offered additional insights into the former president’s health and fitness for office. These accounts have suggested that Biden’s inner circle worked to conceal what some characterized as his declining condition from the public, though such claims remain contested.
In contrast to these narratives about his predecessor, Trump has consistently emphasized his own mental and physical fitness for office. Following his annual physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last Friday, the president spoke positively about the results.
While traveling on Air Force One to his home in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump told reporters that the examination showed he has “a good heart, a good soul” and that overall, he felt he was in “very good shape.”
The president also revealed that he had taken a cognitive test as part of his physical. He indicated that he had performed well on the assessment, stating that he had completed this type of test multiple times and “got nothing wrong.”
Trump appeared to contrast his willingness to undergo cognitive testing with the approaches of his political opponents. He stated that former President Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris had both declined to take such tests during their time in office.
The interview with Campos-Duffy touched on additional topics beyond the Biden administration. The Fox Noticias host used the opportunity to teach Trump how to say his campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” in Spanish, creating a lighthearted moment during their conversation.
When asked by Campos-Duffy about his proudest accomplishment since returning to office, Trump highlighted specific achievements from his first hundred days as president, though the precise details of these accomplishments were not elaborated upon in the available source material.
The president’s interview with Fox Noticias comes amid a busy schedule that included meeting with Italy’s prime minister at the White House and undergoing his annual physical examination, demonstrating the multifaceted nature of his presidential duties as he continues to implement his administration’s agenda in 2025.
