Before he left office, Joe Biden disclosed he had stage four prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. It was a tragic update, but one that only reinforced one of the main narratives against him in the 2024 cycle: he wasn't healthy enough to be president. Though that was relegated to his mental state. 

During the election, he contracted COVID while on a Western trip, where he was supposedly trying to maintain his donor operation before he was removed from the ticket. Now, this cancer diagnosis — somehow missed for the past four years — you don’t get diagnosed with that suddenly. The cancer was described as aggressive, and now we’ve learned that it’s spread (via CNBC):

Former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has spread further, his son Hunter Biden said in a BBC interview, offering a stark update on the 83-year-old’s health.

“It’s really, really hard, and it’s really sad to watch... I wish he would complain more, because it’s not good,” Hunter Biden said in the interview. “The cancer has spread, is metastasized into his bones and further. It’s very painful. It’s very debilitating in many respects, but he’s still out there. He’s still doing his thing... he so believes in this country.”

Joe Biden was diagnosed in May 2025 with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. The former president later underwent hormone treatment and a course of radiation therapy.

There is a lot about the Biden presidency we may never know since his inner circle was secretive and insular. But also not very sharp, as Nancy Pelosi overwhelmed, outmaneuvered, and easily beat them, and she’s not even in congressional leadership anymore.