Joe Biden, former President of the United States, announced on Sunday that after undergoing a series of tests in recent weeks, doctors have diagnosed him with an aggressive prostate cancer with bone metastasis. "Last week, President Biden was found to have a nodule in the prostate after experiencing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with cancer at a level 9 on the Glason scale (grade 5) with bone metastasis. Although this represents a more aggressive disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, allowing for effective management. The President and his family will evaluate treatment options with the doctors," said the statement sent this afternoon, local time.
"Melania and I are saddened to learn of Joe Biden's recent medical diagnosis. We express our best wishes to Jill and the family, and wish Joe a speedy and successful recovery," President Donald Trump reacted in a message on his social media.
Biden's health, at 82, was a central issue throughout 2024, in the months leading up to the elections that in November brought Donald Trump back to the White House. And the former president's health has once again become a focus in recent days, due to the imminent release of a book that has already made headlines in major newspapers and TV discussions. "Original Sin", written by CNN star Jack Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson, reveals that the president's health was much worse than reported, both physically and mentally. It denounces a significant cover-up campaign by his family and closest White House team to prevent citizens from noticing an extraordinary decline since 2022.
The book is set to be released on Tuesday, but it has already brought several Democratic leaders and analysts into the spotlight, forcing them to take a stance. It is no longer a debate about whether he was a better or worse candidate than Kamala Harris or Trump, but whether he had the necessary faculties. With interviews with over 200 sources, the authors conclude that Biden was not in full capacity, had serious memory problems or trouble recognizing people. Therefore, his advisors isolated him, reducing his schedule, visits, and preventing congressmen, senators, and other important figures from meeting with him. Including his own ministers, who were sidelined during the last two years.
This weekend's diagnosis has nothing to do with what the book describes, but it will further delve into something that has become political fodder. The White House itself leaked just a few days ago a recording of an interview of Biden with special prosecutor Robert Hurr in October 2023 regarding the investigation into the allegation that classified documents were found in his residences. The interview transcript was already public, but the audio shows a president who is disoriented, scattered, constantly needing the help and assistance of his lawyers to answer questions.
In his final year, Republicans attacked the president by insinuating or asserting that he had Parkinson's, dementia, or some severe degenerative neurological disorder. Donald Trump turned it into a campaign weapon, and just a few weeks ago, he persisted in this narrative during his annual examination. Not a day goes by without him insulting his predecessor using degrading nicknames, but this Sunday, upon hearing the news, he reacted with affection, wishing him a speedy recovery.
In July, amidst the siege following his poor performance in the first and only presidential debate, the White House stated that then-President Biden had undergone a neurological examination three times since taking office, as part of each of his annual physical exams at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. These physical exams were conducted in November 2021, February 2023, and February 2024.
Physically, nothing had been detected until urinary problems arose, and a nodule was found. In February 1988, after experiencing persistent neck pain that led him to take up to 10 Tylenol pills a day, Biden underwent surgery to correct an intracranial aneurysm with leaks. While recovering, he suffered a pulmonary embolism. A second aneurysm kept him on leave for seven months while he was a Senator.
"I am sorry to hear this news. Cancer is truly terrible. My father passed away in 2021 from cancer. Let's pray for Joe Biden and his family," wrote Congresswoman Maga Marjorie Taylor Green, one of Trump's staunchest supporters and critics of the former president.
Meanwhile, former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris stated on Sunday that she is "sad" after learning that former President Joe Biden has prostate cancer but expressed confidence that he will face the illness with "strength and resilience."