Joe Biden says he wouldn’t have run for second term in 2024 if he knew he had cancer

Joe Biden said he was unaware of his cancer diagnosis during his presidency and would not have pursued a second term had he known about the illness.The former Democratic president's remarks came during an interview with People magazine ahead of the release of his White House memoir on Tuesday."If I had known that I was feeling lousy because I had cancer," said Biden, who turns 84 on Nov. 20, "I would’ve not gone forward" with his 2024 reelection bid, which ended following a poor debate performance against Republican Donald Trump.Biden received a diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer months after leaving office in 2025."I don’t think an 80-year-old man with cancer should be running" for president, Biden remarked in the interview.Former US president Joe Biden in Dublin on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026 (PA)However, he maintained that the June 2024 debate, taking place under five months before Election Day, was not a defining event, even as it intensified concerns among Democrats regarding his age — 81 at the time — and his capacity to defeat Trump."First of all, I thought there’d be another debate, which there wasn’t," Biden said. "But notwithstanding the fact that there wasn’t another debate, it didn’t disturb me because it wasn’t consequential."Within weeks of the debate, Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, who captured the nomination but ultimately lost to Trump in the general election.Biden insisted he remained fully capable of serving while in office, arguing that age brought essential experience and deep relationships with international leaders rather than serving as a disqualification."I believe that on an objective basis, I was the best-equipped person to do the job," he said.In August, his son Hunter told the BBC that the cancer had spread, causing his father significant suffering. "It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating in many respects," he said.Biden and Trump participate in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia (Getty Images)Since Joe Biden left office, his son has taken on a more prominent public persona, debating Republicans on social media platforms, publishing long commentary on national affairs, and launching a cryptocurrency.Joe Biden defended his son's public role and his decision to grant Hunter Biden a pardon after the younger Biden's 2024 federal gun conviction and tax charge guilty plea. Hunter Biden had previously endured years of intense Republican scrutiny over his foreign business affairs.While Hunter Biden noted that the pardon compromised his father's legacy, the former president maintained that Trump's vengeful nature made the action necessary."He goes after people without any basis, whether they’re viewed as an enemy. I knew what he would do," Joe Biden said. "If I hadn’t pardoned — not just some of my family members, anyone who’s dealt with me — he would go back and try to do harm to them."Biden described his son as "one of the brightest men I know," adding, "I’m really proud of him."