Biden says he wouldn't have run in 2024 had he known he had cancer

Former President Joe Biden says he did not know he had cancer while he was in office. He also says he would not have sought a second term if he had already been diagnosed ¹.

He made the comments in an interview with People magazine ahead of the release of his White House memoir. Biden turns 84 on Nov. 20 ¹.

On tapeCNN · Nov 11

▶1:10

What Biden said about the cancer

Biden said that if he had known he was feeling lousy because of cancer, he "would’ve not gone forward" with his 2024 reelection bid ¹. He was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, meaning it had spread beyond the prostate, months after leaving office in 2025 ¹.

I don’t think an 80-year-old man with cancer should be running

His son Hunter told the BBC in August that the cancer had spread and was causing his father pain. Hunter called it "very painful" and "very debilitating in many respects" ¹.

From Channel GOP60 Minutes presses Trump on missing health planDonald Trump · 30K plays · captioned, with the source named

The debate, in his words

Biden said the June 2024 debate against Donald Trump was not a seismic event. That debate came less than five months before Election Day, when Biden was 81. AP reports it sped up Democrats' worries about his age and his ability to beat Trump ¹.

To me, it was not very consequential.

Biden also said he had expected a second debate that never happened. "First of all, I thought there’d be another debate, which there wasn’t," he said ¹².

On tapeABC7 · Nov 11

▶2:16

The debate was held on June 27, 2024, on CNN. Nielsen, the TV ratings firm, counted 51.3 million viewers across networks ². Biden left the race on July 21, 24 days later, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris won the Democratic nomination and lost to Trump in November 2024 ¹².

Defending his record and his son

Biden insisted he could do his job as president. He said age alone was not disqualifying and gave him experience and deep personal relationships with world leaders. "I believe that on an objective basis, I was the best-equipped person to do the job," he said ¹.

He also defended his pardon of Hunter Biden, who was convicted in 2024 on federal felony gun charges and pleaded guilty to federal tax charges. Hunter has said the pardon hurt his father's legacy ¹.

Joe Biden said he believed Trump would seek revenge, which he argued made the pardon necessary. "He goes after people without any basis, whether they’re viewed as an enemy. I knew what he would do," Biden said ¹.

What happens next

The memoir is out, and the interview is part of the promotion for it. The coverage we reviewed carried no reaction from Trump or from current Democratic leaders ¹².

That matters because Democrats are now preparing to take control of Congress in January. Many of them are still arguing over how the party lost the White House in 2024. Biden's account is that the debate did not decide anything and that his health problem was unknown to him. Not every Democrat will accept that, and the interview does not settle the question of how his health was handled while he was in office.

The pattern is a familiar one for older Americans watching this debate. A person can be capable and still face real questions about stamina and health. Biden himself now says an 80-year-old with cancer should not be running.

The Record

1. Jun 27, 2024Biden and Trump meet in a CNN debate that drew 51.3 million viewers across networks, per Nielsen ².
2. Jul 21, 2024Biden ends his campaign 24 days after the debate and endorses Kamala Harris ².
3. Nov 11, 2026People magazine publishes Biden's interview ahead of his White House memoir ¹².

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<h2>Biden says he wouldn&#39;t have run in 2024 had he known he had cancer</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files White House Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/biden-says-he-wouldn-t-have-run-in-2024-had-he-known-he-had-cancer">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.</em></p> <p>Former President Joe Biden says he did not know he had cancer while he was in office. He also says he would not have sought a second term if he had already been diagnosed .</p> <p>He made the comments in an interview with People magazine ahead of the release of his White House memoir. Biden turns 84 on Nov. 20 .</p> <h2>What Biden said about the cancer</h2> <p>Biden said that if he had known he was feeling lousy because of cancer, he &quot;would’ve not gone forward&quot; with his 2024 reelection bid . He was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, meaning it had spread beyond the prostate, months after leaving office in 2025 .</p> <blockquote><p>I don’t think an 80-year-old man with cancer should be running</p><p>&mdash; Joe Biden, former president, Democrat</p></blockquote> <p>His son Hunter told the BBC in August that the cancer had spread and was causing his father pain. Hunter called it &quot;very painful&quot; and &quot;very debilitating in many respects&quot; .</p> <h2>The debate, in his words</h2> <p>Biden said the June 2024 debate against Donald Trump was not a seismic event. That debate came less than five months before Election Day, when Biden was 81. AP reports it sped up Democrats&#39; worries about his age and his ability to beat Trump .</p> <blockquote><p>To me, it was not very consequential.</p><p>&mdash; Joe Biden, former president, Democrat</p></blockquote> <p>Biden also said he had expected a second debate that never happened. &quot;First of all, I thought there’d be another debate, which there wasn’t,&quot; he said .</p> <p>The debate was held on June 27, 2024, on CNN. Nielsen, the TV ratings firm, counted 51.3 million viewers across networks . Biden left the race on July 21, 24 days later, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris won the Democratic nomination and lost to Trump in November 2024 .</p> <h2>Defending his record and his son</h2> <p>Biden insisted he could do his job as president. He said age alone was not disqualifying and gave him experience and deep personal relationships with world leaders. &quot;I believe that on an objective basis, I was the best-equipped person to do the job,&quot; he said .</p> <p>He also defended his pardon of Hunter Biden, who was convicted in 2024 on federal felony gun charges and pleaded guilty to federal tax charges. Hunter has said the pardon hurt his father&#39;s legacy .</p> <p>Joe Biden said he believed Trump would seek revenge, which he argued made the pardon necessary. &quot;He goes after people without any basis, whether they’re viewed as an enemy. I knew what he would do,&quot; Biden said .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>The memoir is out, and the interview is part of the promotion for it. The coverage we reviewed carried no reaction from Trump or from current Democratic leaders .</p> <p>That matters because Democrats are now preparing to take control of Congress in January. Many of them are still arguing over how the party lost the White House in 2024. Biden&#39;s account is that the debate did not decide anything and that his health problem was unknown to him. Not every Democrat will accept that, and the interview does not settle the question of how his health was handled while he was in office.</p> <p>The pattern is a familiar one for older Americans watching this debate. A person can be capable and still face real questions about stamina and health. Biden himself now says an 80-year-old with cancer should not be running.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/biden-says-he-wouldn-t-have-run-in-2024-had-he-known-he-had-cancer">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/biden-says-he-wouldn-t-have-run-in-2024-had-he-known-he-had-cancer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. AP via ABC News, “Biden says he wouldn't have run for a second term in 2024 if he knew he had cancer” (2026-11-11). abcnews.com/US/wireStory/biden-run-term-2024-knew-cancer-138
2. TheWrap, “Biden Downplays Infamous 2024 CNN Debate as 'Not Very Consequential'” (2026-11-11). thewrap.com/media-platforms/politics/joe-biden-cnn-debate-20

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