On Monday, President Donald Trump addressed former President Joe Biden’s recent prostate cancer diagnosis during an Oval Office press briefing.
Trump expressed concern over the late-stage discovery of Biden’s aggressive cancer, which has spread to his bones, questioning how such a condition went undetected during Biden’s presidency. “I’m surprised the public wasn’t notified a long time ago,” Trump told reporters.
Context
In February 2024, Biden’s doctor declared him “fit to serve” after he underwent a physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. But a forthcoming book by CNN‘s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson alleges that White House aides covered up Biden’s physical and mental decline during his term.
Trump reacts to Biden’s cancer diagnosis: “The autopen is becoming a very big deal, because it seems like maybe that was the president, whoever operated the autopen. But when they say that that was not good, they also — you know, you have to look, and you have to say the test… pic.twitter.com/lnqr4a783P
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 19, 2025
Biden, 82, was diagnosed on Friday after recent urinary symptoms prompted further medical evaluation, resulting in the discovery of a prostate nodule, his office said. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5)—the highest risk category. The cancer had already metastasized to his bones, making it a Stage 4 diagnosis.
Prostate cancer screenings are generally not recommended for men over 70, so Biden may not have been receiving regular PSA blood tests. Additionally, medical experts note that these tests are not particularly effective at detecting aggressive forms of prostate cancer.
What to Know
In a lengthy response, Trump went on to criticize Biden’s former medical team, suggesting they withheld critical health information from the public, and labeled the situation as “dangerous for our country.”
While not mentioning Dr. Kevin O’Connor by name, he pointed to the former White House physician, who attested to Biden’s sound mental health.
“I think somebody is going to have to speak to his doctor if it’s the same, or even if it’s two separate doctors,” Trump said. “Why wasn’t the cognitive ability, why wasn’t that discussed? And I think the doctor said he’s just fine. And it’s turned out that’s not so. It’s very dangerous.”
Despite his criticisms, Trump, 78, conveyed sympathy for Biden, describing the diagnosis as a “very sad situation and I feel very badly about it.” In a post on Truth Social, President Trump wished Biden a “fast and successful recovery” on Sunday night following the announcement.
Biden’s age and health were dominant concerns among voters during his time as president. The 82-year-old dismissed concerns about his mental acuity but ultimately dropped his bid for a second term following a disastrous debate performance in June last year. He was replaced as the Democratic nominee by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the election to President Donald Trump.
The news of the former president’s diagnosis has raised widespread questions about his White House’s transparency. In addition, a video of Biden from 2022, in which he appeared to say he had cancer, has been resurfaced by critics.
The video, which is from a speech about pollution in Massachusetts, shows Biden discussing how pollution impacts public health. He says, “That’s why I—and so damn many other people I grew up with—have cancer.”
In Monday’s remarks, Trump also brought up concerns about Biden’s mental fitness during his presidency, asserting that “anybody running for president should take a cognitive test.”
“They say it’s unconstitutional. But I would say in that particular case, having a cognitive test wouldn’t be so bad,” Trump said, while telling reporters he recently “aced” his cognitive test.
What People Are Saying
Trump continued on Monday, “I think people should try and find out what happened, because I’ll tell you … I don’t know if it had anything to do with the hospital. Walter Reed is really good. There’s some of the best doctors I’ve ever seen. Somebody is not telling the facts. It’s a big problem.”
“I did a very complete physical, including a cognitive test. I’m proud to announce I aced it. I got them all right. It’s a little risk. If I didn’t get them all right, these people would be after me. It would be not a good situation.
“But when you take tests—medical, as a male—that test is very standard. I don’t know if it’s given to everybody, but it’s given just about. And it takes a long time to get to that situation… to get to a stage 9.”
Earlier Monday, Vice President JD Vance told reporters aboard Air Force 2 that he wished the best for former President Biden, but that there needs to be honesty about his fitness to serve as president: “Look, I will say, whether the right time to have this conversation is now or at some point in the future, we really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job.”
Representative Greg Murphy, a North Carolina Republican and urologist who has treated prostate cancer patients for decades, said on X, formerly Twitter, that it was “medically reckless” to suggest a cover-up regarding Biden’s prostate cancer: “A man with a ‘below normal’ PSA can still have prostate cancer. This is why a rectal examination by your physician must ALSO be done. Unfortunately, some doctors are forgoing critical examination and relying only on the blood test. Make sure your doctor does both.”
In another post, Murphy questioned why someone “running for President of the United States, especially someone who is elderly, did not have these examinations.”
Posting about Trump’s remarks, Jessica Tarlov, co-host of Fox News’ The Five, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “I know it’s a big week for the Biden cover-up, but Donald Trump is often more incoherent (and wrong) than Biden ever was. The only difference: Trump is high energy incoherent.”
What Happens Next
The president did not respond to a question regarding whether or not he will call his predecessor and longtime political rival.
Update: 5/19/25, 6:28 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.
Update: 5/19/25, 6:53 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.
Update: 5/19/25, 7:03 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.
Update: 5/19/25, 7:19 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.
Update: 5/19/25, 7:46 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.
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