(Credit - People Magazine)
Joe Biden Says 2024 Re-Election Bid Would Have Ended Over Cancer
Former US President Joe Biden stated he would not have sought re-election in 2024 had he known he was suffering from cancer during his presidency. The disclosure, made in an interview with People magazine ahead of his White House memoir launch, directly links his health condition to the political decision that ultimately reshaped the American presidential race.
Cancer Diagnosis Followed Departure From White House
Biden received a diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer in 2025, months after completing his presidential term. The former president, who turns 84 on Nov. 20, stated that an 80-year-old man diagnosed with cancer should not run for the White House, explaining that his physical symptoms affected his condition prior to his withdrawal from the candidate slate following a June 2024 debate performance against Donald Trump. In August 2026, his son Hunter Biden confirmed to the BBC that the cancer had spread, calling the illness painful and debilitating.
Biden also defended his choice to issue a federal pardon for Hunter Biden following his son’s 2024 felony convictions on gun and tax charges. He maintained that the decision was necessary to protect his family from potential political targeting by Donald Trump. Following Biden’s departure from the 2024 presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris secured the Democratic nomination and subsequently lost the general election to Trump.
