Former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis, announced on May 18th of this year, has sparked suspicion and controversy, primarily due to its timing, the aggressive nature of the cancer, and questions about the transparency of his health during his presidency.
The diagnosis came shortly after Biden left office in January 2025, following a contentious 2024 partial presidential campaign where his age and health were heavily scrutinized. Critics, including some Republicans, argue the announcement’s proximity to the release of “Original Sin”, a book by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson detailing Biden’s health and cognitive decline, suggests an attempt to garner sympathy or distract from political fallout. However, Biden’s team insisted he wasn’t diagnosed until May 16, 2025, after symptoms led to the discovery of a prostate nodule.
Biden’s diagnosis of Stage 4 prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 9, indicating metastasis to the bone, raised questions about how such an advanced condition went undetected in a former president with access to top-tier medical care. Urologist Dr. David Shusterman suggested the cancer, which takes years to develop, could have been present during Biden’s presidency, potentially missed due to inadequate screening.
According to the February 2024 physical conducted by Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden underwent a comprehensive health assessment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which found him “fit to serve” with no signs of active cancer, leading critics to question whether his physician concealed health problems. The report noted Biden’s history of non-melanoma skin cancer lesions, removed before his presidency, but it did not mention prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing or other cancer-specific screenings in 2024. A Biden aide later stated that his last PSA test wasback in 2014.
Experts like Dr. Nicole Saphier suggest Biden’s cancer likely formed after 2019, possibly missed due to medications lowering PSA levels or rapid progression in 2024–2025.
Joe Biden claimed he had cancer during a speech on July 20, 2022. He said, “That’s why I and so damn many other people I grew up with have cancer,” linking it to his childhood exposure to oil slicks from refineries in Delaware. The White House later insisted that Biden was referring to his history of skin cancer lesions.
Back in 2019, at a campaign event in Iowa, Biden declared, “I promise you if I’m elected president, you’re going to see the single most important thing that changes America, we’re gonna cure cancer.” Unfortunately for him he didn’t make good on that promise.