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Joe Biden addresses critics who said he hid his stage 4 cancer diagnosis in upcoming memoir
Joe Biden has used excerpts from his forthcoming memoir to reject claims that he concealed his stage 4 prostate cancer while president. He says the diagnosis was not something he knew about and calls the accusation that he hid the illness absurd.
The cancer was diagnosed in May 2025 after it had spread to his bones. Biden says standard medical protocol stops prostate cancer testing for men over 70; he also says treatment has limited how many book events he can attend. The memoir, *Promise Me, America*, is due out on 17 November and covers his presidency, his decision to seek re-election and his eventual withdrawal from the 2024 race.
In short
- Biden rejects claims that he concealed his cancer diagnosis.
- He was diagnosed in May 2025 with cancer that had spread to his bones.
- Treatment may limit his appearances for his memoir’s release.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
If Biden did not know he had cancer while president, he could not have concealed that diagnosis, and the claim that he hid it would be unfair. His explanation that routine testing is limited for men over 70 offers a plausible reason the disease was not detected earlier, while his account of treatment-related limits on book events is consistent with being seriously ill.
The case against
Even if Biden says he did not know, the late diagnosis and the public importance of a president’s health leave reasonable questions about what medical checks were undertaken and what information was available to him or his team. Critics may argue that the circumstances warrant scrutiny and fuller disclosure, while recognising that suspicion alone does not establish deliberate concealment.
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