Biden Says Cancer Knowledge Would Have Changed His 2024 Campaign
Joe Biden said he would not have continued his 2024 presidential campaign if he had known that cancer was behind feeling unwell. In an interview released on November 11, the former president said he believed a man aged 80 who had cancer should not seek the presidency. He maintained that, at the time, he believed he was best equipped for the job and said he had not concealed his health condition from the public while president.
Biden also played down the significance of his June 2024 debate with Donald Trump, saying he expected another debate and did not consider his performance consequential. During the televised debate, Biden struggled to complete thoughts and articulate his case. His performance intensified concerns about his fitness for another term, and he withdrew from the race 107 days before the election, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. A second debate later took place between Harris and Trump.
Biden was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in May 2025, four months after leaving office. The cancer had spread to his bones. He has completed radiation treatment and started hormone therapy. Biden said recent examinations found no further cancer spread, described his prognosis as optimistic, and said he felt good and retained his faculties.
The interview came ahead of the release next week of Biden’s memoir, Promise Me, America. He said his cancer would limit his ability to promote the book. He also criticized Trump’s plan to replace the White House East Wing with a ballroom, saying the project was beneath the country and accusing Trump of seeking monuments to himself.
Biden Says Cancer Would Have Ended His 2024 Bid
Biden’s comments put the health stakes of his 2024 campaign in stark terms: he said he would not have sought another term if he had known cancer was making him feel unwell. The former president said he believed a man aged 80 with cancer should not seek the presidency, while maintaining that he believed he was the best person for the job at the time.
He rejected the idea that he hid his condition from the public while president, saying the public was informed when he learned what was happening. Biden was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in May 2025, four months after leaving office; it had spread to his bones. He has completed radiation treatment and begun hormone therapy, and said his latest tests showed no spread.
Biden also minimized the impact of his June 2024 debate against Donald Trump, even though his difficulty completing thoughts and making his case intensified concerns about his fitness. He left the race 107 days before the election and endorsed Kamala Harris. A later debate was between Harris and Trump. His dismissal of the debate’s importance leaves the central question of that campaign—whether voters were given a clear account of his capacity—unanswered by his explanation.
The interview, released November 11, precedes next week’s memoir release. Biden said cancer would limit his ability to promote it. He also condemned Trump’s plan to demolish the White House East Wing for a ballroom, arguing that the project reflected a desire to build personal monuments rather than serve the country.
Biden’s Health Raises Fresh Questions About His 2024 Bid
Biden’s account underscores a serious question about his 2024 candidacy: he says he would not have pursued another term had he known cancer was making him feel unwell. He said an 80-year-old man with cancer should not run for president, yet also maintained that he believed he was the best-equipped person for the job.
The former president dismissed his June 2024 debate against Donald Trump as not consequential. But Biden struggled to complete thoughts and articulate his case during the televised event, and its aftermath helped drive him from the race. He withdrew 107 days before the election and endorsed Kamala Harris; the later debate was between Harris and Trump. His latest comments downplay the episode without changing what voters saw during that debate.
Biden said he did not hide his health from the public and that people were told when he learned what was happening. He was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in May 2025, four months after leaving office, with the cancer having spread to his bones. He has completed radiation treatment and begun hormone therapy. Biden said recent tests showed no spread and described his prognosis as optimistic.
The interview was released on November 11 ahead of his memoir’s release next week. Biden said his illness would limit his book promotion. He also attacked Trump’s plan to replace the White House East Wing with a ballroom, saying Trump wanted to create monuments to himself. The exchange places Biden’s own record and Trump’s project side by side, but his explanation of the campaign’s health concerns remains the more consequential issue.
Reported by CNN, New York Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Twitchy, Fox News, The Washington Examiner, Daily Mail US.
