WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Sunday, former President Joe Biden announced he is battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer. A source close to the Biden family informed our Washington, D.C. correspondent Rachel Knapp about the President’s diagnosis early Sunday morning. Hours after we reached out for comment, the former President’s office released a formal statement to the world about the President’s health. The source shares the Biden family found out about the cancer diagnosis about three days ago.
Monday morning, former President Biden shared a photo with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden on social media, and said: “Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
This follow’s Sunday’s announcement from the office of the former Presdient, which shared that Biden reported urinary symptoms, which led doctors to find a small nodule on his prostate and was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris shared on social media, saying in part: “Joe is a fighter – and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership.”
President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly commented on the 82-year-old’s age and health, shared on social media: “Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
“We wish the best for the former president’s health, and it sounds pretty serious, but hopefully he makes the right recovery,” said Vice President JD Vance.
VP Vance goes on to question whether Biden was forthcoming with the public about his health while in office. Throughout Biden’s term, he faced questions and criticism about his age and health, which eventually led him to step down from seeking a second term.
“You know that that you can separate the desire for him to have the right health outcome with the recognition that whether it was doctors or whether there were staffers around the former President, I don’t think he was able to do a good job for the American people and that’s not politics,” said VP Vance. “That’s not because I disagreed with him on policy. That’s because I don’t think that he was in good enough health in some ways I blame him less than I blame the people around him. And why didn’t the American people have a better sense of his health picture. Why didn’t the American people have more accurate information about what he actually dealing with this is serious stuff? This is a guy who carries around the nuclear football for the world’s largest nuclear arsenal. This is not child’s play, and we can pray for good health, but also recognize that if you’re not in good enough health to do the job, you shouldn’t be doing the job.”
Cancer is no stranger to the Bidens, the President’s son Beau died from a form a brain cancer and two years ago, while serving as President, Biden had skin cancer removed from his chest during a physical. During his time as president, Biden launched a “cancer moonshot” which mobilized an effort to end cancer once and for all.
Since leaving office in January, the former president has stayed relatively out of the spotlight, but his absence also comes after a reckoning within the Democratic party and how they handled this last election, which ultimately led them losing not only the Presidency, but key seats in congress, too.