Biden Says He Would Not Have Run Again Had He Known About His Cancer
Former President Joe Biden said Wednesday that an earlier cancer diagnosis would have ended his bid for a second term.
Biden made the admission in an interview with PEOPLE magazine ahead of the release of his memoir, "Promise Me, America."
"I would've not gone forward," Biden said. "I don't think an 80-year-old man with cancer should be running" for president.
Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer after leaving office in January 2025. He maintains that he did not know about the disease while he was president and rejected suggestions that his team hid a diagnosis from voters.
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The Debate That Ended His Campaign
His comments are likely to revive questions about the end of the 2024 campaign and how much voters were told about his health.
Biden was 81 when his June 2024 debate against Donald Trump set off alarm among Democrats. Viewers watched the incumbent struggle to answer questions, and pressure mounted from Democrats who feared he would lose.
He dropped out on July 21, 2024, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who went on to lose to Trump in November. That left Democrats only weeks to reorganize their campaign.
In the interview, Biden downplayed the debate's role. "To me, it was not very consequential," he said.
He also said the diagnosis changed how he understood his condition, explaining that he had felt unwell without knowing why.
Heckled in Dublin
The interview came a day after anti-Israel agitators heckled Biden in Dublin, Ireland, where police arrested two people after objects were thrown.
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Biden, 83, made a surprise appearance with former first lady Jill Biden at Trinity College, where their son Hunter Biden accepted the Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse, according to The Independent.
A crowd gathered outside during the ceremony and confronted Biden as he walked to his motorcade. As he left, someone hurled an object that was blocked by an umbrella near the former president. Video posted online showed him taking cover behind the umbrella as police wrestled with protesters.
"Blood, blood, blood on your hands!" the crowd chanted as Irish police detained people outside the venue. After the motorcade pulled away, protesters turned on the officers, chanting "Shame on you!"
Anger Over Israel
The confrontation followed years of criticism from anti-Israel activists over Biden's support for Israel after the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023. Some activists labeled him "Genocide Joe" over his decision to keep sending military aid.
Biden traveled to Israel less than two weeks after the attack, signed an April 2024 aid package that included funding for Israel, and later paused a shipment of heavy bombs over concerns about their use in Rafah, a move Republicans criticized.
During that visit, he also announced humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and his administration pressed Israel to allow more aid into Gaza. The Republican-led House passed the Israel aid bill with bipartisan support before the broader package, which also included help for Ukraine and Taiwan, cleared the Senate. Fox News Digital reached out to Biden's office for comment on the Dublin confrontation.