Biden Says Cancer Knowledge Would Have Changed 2024 Bid

Joe Biden said he would have abandoned his 2024 reelection bid if he had known he had cancer, and that he would have resigned as president if he knew the illness was making him feel unwell. He made the remarks in an interview published before the scheduled release of his memoir, Promise Me, America.

Biden said he did not know he had cancer while in office and that the public was informed when he learned of the diagnosis. His office announced on May 18, 2025, after his presidency ended in January, that he had an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.

The former president’s remarks describe a hypothetical decision, not evidence that cancer affected his health or work in 2024. He said the illness did not interfere with his presidential duties and maintained that he was qualified to serve. The interview did not establish whether the cancer had begun affecting him during his final year in office.

Biden’s reelection campaign ended in July 2024, weeks after a debate with Donald Trump intensified concerns among Democrats about his age and ability to win. He endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who secured the Democratic nomination and lost the general...