President Trump raised doubts on Monday about how former President Joe Biden's advanced prostate cancer went undetected until after he left office, accusing ex-White House staff of "not telling the facts." "I'm surprised the public wasn't notified a long time ago," Trump told reporters at the Oval Office, in his first on-camera remarks about Biden's medical diagnosis.
"To get to stage nine, that's a long time," the president said, referring to Biden's cancer receiving a score of 9 on the Gleason scale — a sign of aggressive, fast-spreading cancer. The cancer detection comes a week after doctors found a 'small nodule' on Biden's prostate, requiring "further evaluation" during a physical exam.
Trump Has Serious Doubts
Trump, 78, pointed out that he had a complete physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last month, and claimed that a prostate exam is typically "standard" for "pretty much anyone getting a good physical." "When you take tests, as a male, that test is very standard."
"This is dangerous for our country," Trump said, adding that Biden played a role in creating the current problems facing the country.
Trump described the diagnosis as "very, very sad," but also pointed out that several doctors — including former White House physician Kevin O'Connor — had for years insisted that Biden was mentally fit, even though his cognitive decline became apparent during their debate on June 27, 2024.
O'Connor had given Biden an almost entirely clean bill of health during his most recent physical in late February 2024, saying that he had "identified no new concerns" at the time.
Biden's physical that year did not include any mention of a prostate exam, although he did have a colonoscopy in 2021.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also said that doctors determined a cognitive test was unnecessary for Biden — despite growing public concern over his frequent gaffes and verbal mistakes, such as the incident in September 2022 when he asked, "Where's Jackie?" while looking for the late Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) during an event.
"The president doesn't need a cognitive test. That is not my assessment, that is the assessment of the president's doctor, that is also the assessment of his neurologist," Jean-Pierre told reporters at the time.
Mystery Behind Diagnosis Deepens
"If it's the same doctor that said there's nothing wrong there, and that's being proven to be a very sad situation," Trump said Monday, adding: "I think someone is going to have to speak to his doctor."
"Why wasn't the cognitive ability — why wasn't that discussed?"
Biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest during a routine physical in February 2023, which was later confirmed to be basal cell carcinoma. Dr. O'Connor said that "all cancerous tissue was successfully removed," and no additional treatment was necessary.
Some of Biden's inner circle allegedly held private discussions about the possibility of him needing a wheelchair during a potential second term if he had won re-election, according to a new book "Original Sin" by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios journalist Alex Thompson.
