Former US President Joe Biden said in an interview with People magazine, ahead of the release of his memoirs about his time in office, that he was unaware he had cancer when he decided to run for a second term in the 2024 presidential election. He noted that he would not have run had he known that the disease was behind his feelings of fatigue and exhaustion.
Biden was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer several months after leaving the White House in 2025.
Biden, who turns 84 on November 20, said he does not believe that an 80-year-old man with cancer should seek the presidency. However, he stressed that he had been capable of carrying out his duties while in the White House, arguing that age alone should not be grounds for ruling out a candidate, as it can bring extensive experience and strong personal relationships with world leaders.
Regarding his debate with Donald Trump in June 2024, Biden said he did not consider it decisive, although it heightened Democrats' concerns about his age and his chances of winning.
He noted that he had expected another debate but was not bothered when it did not take place, as he believed it would not be a decisive factor. A few weeks later, he announced his withdrawal from the presidential race and endorsed his then-vice president, Kamala Harris, who secured the Democratic Party's nomination before losing the election to Trump.
Last August, Hunter Biden, the former president's son, revealed in an interview with the BBC that his father's cancer had spread throughout his body, noting that he was suffering from pain and exhaustion.
Since Biden left the White House, Hunter has become increasingly visible in public, engaging in exchanges with Republicans on social media platforms, publishing lengthy statements about the situation in the country, and launching his own cryptocurrency.
In this context, Biden defended his son's public activities and his decision to grant him a presidential pardon after Hunter was convicted in 2024 on federal gun possession charges and pleaded guilty in federal tax cases. Hunter had faced years of Republican criticism and investigations over his international business dealings.
