Biden Makes Stunning Admission About Cancer Diagnosis

Former President Joe Biden has made a surprising admission about his health and his decision to seek reelection in 2024, revealing that he would have resigned from office if he had known he was battling cancer.

In a new interview with PEOPLE magazine, Biden, 83, said he never would have continued his campaign for a second term if he had been aware of the serious illness that was diagnosed just months after he left the White House.

“If I had known that I was feeling lousy because I had cancer, I would have resigned,” Biden said. “I would’ve not gone forward, because I don’t think an 80-year-old man with cancer should be running for [president].”

The admission comes nearly two years after Biden’s controversial decision to seek another four years in office, despite mounting concerns about his age and ability to handle another presidential term.

Biden announced in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had already spread to his bones. He has since undergone radiation treatment and is receiving hormone therapy.

His latest remarks are drawing renewed attention to the questions surrounding his health during the 2024 election, particularly the disastrous June 27 debate against Donald Trump that ultimately derailed his reelection campaign.

During the nationally televised showdown, Biden repeatedly stumbled over his words, struggled to complete answers and delivered a particularly memorable response about Medicare that quickly became a focal point of criticism.

The performance alarmed Democratic lawmakers and donors, triggering weeks of intense pressure for Biden to abandon his campaign.

On July 21, 2024, Biden finally withdrew from the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who went on to lose the November election to Trump.

Yet in his latest interview, Biden dismissed the significance of the debate that helped bring his political career to an abrupt end.

“I don’t know anybody who hasn’t made a mistake in a debate,” he said, describing the performance as “not very consequential.”

Despite acknowledging that he would have stepped aside if he had known about his cancer, Biden continued to defend his qualifications for the presidency.

“I believe that on an objective basis, I was the best-equipped person to do the job,” he insisted.

Biden also rejected suggestions that he or his administration deliberately concealed his illness from the public. He maintained that he learned of the diagnosis after leaving office and disclosed it once doctors confirmed the disease.

The former president said White House physicians had followed standard medical recommendations, which generally discourage routine prostate cancer screening for men over 70.

The American Cancer Society recommends that older men discuss the potential benefits and risks of screening with their doctors, taking life expectancy and overall health into account.

The interview, conducted ahead of the November 17 release of Biden’s memoir, Promise Me, America, also revisited another controversial decision from his final weeks in office: the sweeping pardon of his son Hunter Biden.

Hunter had been convicted on federal gun charges and pleaded guilty to federal tax offenses before receiving an unconditional presidential pardon in December 2024.

Biden also granted preemptive pardons to several family members shortly before leaving office in January 2025.

The former president defended those decisions, arguing that Trump would have pursued his relatives and political associates after returning to the White House.

“I watched the modus operandi of Trump,” Biden said, accusing his successor of targeting perceived enemies.

His defense comes despite Hunter himself acknowledging that the pardon damaged his father’s political legacy.

Biden also took aim at Trump’s controversial White House ballroom project, criticizing the demolition of the East Wing to make room for the massive addition.

He accused Trump of trying to build personal monuments and described the project as beneath the dignity of the presidency.

Turning to his own health, Biden offered a more hopeful assessment.

He said recent medical tests indicated that his cancer had not spread further and expressed optimism about his treatment, although the disease remains serious.

The former president acknowledged that his health would limit promotional appearances for his upcoming memoir, explaining that some days are more difficult than others.

Nevertheless, Biden maintained that he remains mentally sharp and capable of managing his daily responsibilities.

“I’m not saying I’ll live forever,” he said. “But the point is that I have all of my faculties, I have access to all the things I had before, and I feel good.”

His comments add another chapter to the debate over his decision to pursue reelection at age 81, a decision that ended only after his televised performance against Trump prompted a revolt within his own party.

Biden insists he did not know about his cancer during his presidency. His newly disclosed hypothetical decision to resign, however, places his health and the events surrounding the 2024 campaign back in the spotlight just days before his memoir reaches bookstores.