Joe Biden broke his silence after his office revealed Sunday that the former president is battling an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer.
Biden, 82, posted a selfie with his wife Jill and their cat on social media, expressing gratitude for the well wishes he received.
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support,” Biden wrote in the caption.
Upon the news of his cancer diagnosis, political allies and fierce opponents wished Biden the best in his recovery and said they will be praying for him. Some also speculated that Biden’s cancer diagnosis came at a convenient time, and that it might have been covered up while he was president.
“What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup???” Donald Trump Jr. wrote on X. The president’s son shared a post from Dr. Steven Quay, a prominent physician who runs a pharmaceutical company that specializes in cancer prevention, arguing that Biden likely had prostate cancer throughout his presidency. Other doctors have also suggested that Biden’s cancer and the treatments for it could have been an issue when he was in office.
Congressman Greg Murphy (R., N.C.), a urologist with decades of experience, questioned why Biden did not have the necessary examinations to detect prostate cancer as president.
“Prostate cancer is diagnosed by a blood test called prostate specific antigen, or PSA as well as rectal examination. Makes me wonder why someone running for President of the United States, especially someone who is elderly, did not have these examinations. Screening is critical,” Murphy said.
Nonetheless, Murphy called it “medically reckless” to assume Biden’s cancer diagnosis was covered up in tandem with his mental struggles.
Dr. Zeke Emanuel, a trained oncologist and well-known progressive public-health expert, said Monday that the advanced nature of the disease indicates that Biden must have developed the cancer during or possibly prior to his term in office.
“Oh yeah. He did not develop it in the last 100, 200 days,” Emanuel told MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough. “He had it while he was president. He probably had it at the start of his presidency in 2021. Yes, I don’t think there’s any disagreement about that.”
Biden’s health is currently the subject of national discussion because of his mental decline during his presidency and the efforts his aides and the mainstream media underwent to cover it up. Newly released audio of his lengthy October 2023 interview with special counsel Robert Hur brought fresh attention to Biden’s issues with memory and speaking coherently, and the efforts his administration underwent to prevent the audio from being disclosed earlier.
Hur observed Biden’s memory lapses in the February 2024 report on his investigation into whether Biden withheld classified documents. Enormously controversial, Hur’s report was vindicated when Biden’s cognitive issues ultimately led to his political downfall.
Last summer, Biden dropped out of the presidential race following a revolt from Democrats due to his disastrous debate performance where he repeatedly stumbled over his words and struggled to answer simple questions.
Before that, Biden’s physician and longtime friend Kevin O’Connor cleared him in his annual physical. O’Connor’s evaluation of Biden has drawn renewed scrutiny because of the president’s cancer diagnosis and mental difficulties.
The former president’s mental decline and the coverup surrounding it is the subject of a new book Original Sin, by Axios reporter Alex Thompson and CNN host Jake Tapper. The revelations in the book have received significant media attention in recent days but some are calling for a pause in the conversation given Biden’s health.
The discussion “should be more muted and set aside for now as he’s struggling through this,” former Obama aide David Axelrod told CNN.