Former President Joe Biden said in a new interview that he would have resigned from the presidency and abandoned his re-election campaign if he had known he was suffering from cancer at the time.
"If I had known that I was feeling lousy because I had cancer, I would have resigned. I would’ve not gone forward, because I don’t think an 80-year-old man with cancer should be running for [president]," Biden, 83, told PEOPLE magazine.
Biden announced in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. He has since completed radiation treatment and begun hormone therapy.
Despite his health struggles, Biden insisted that he was "the best-equipped person to do the job" and downplayed his performance in a disastrous debate against Donald Trump that preceded his withdrawal from the 2024 race on July 21 of that year. "I don’t know anybody who hasn’t made a mistake in a debate. To me, it was not very consequential," he stated.
The former president also defended his decision to pardon his son Hunter and grant pre-emptive clemency to other Biden family members, saying he was aware of Donald Trump's past actions. "I watched the modus operandi of Trump. He goes after people without any basis, whether they are viewed as an enemy," Biden said. "I knew what he would do."
Biden also criticized his successor's decision to demolish the White House East Wing and construct a large ballroom. "I find it beneath the country," he said.
Regarding his health, Biden expressed optimism, stating that his latest tests showed the cancer had not spread and that many people diagnosed with similar cancers live long lives. "I’m not saying I’ll live forever. But the point is that I have all of my faculties, I have access to all the things I had before, and I feel good," he added.
His memoir, “Promise Me, America,” is set to be released on November 17.