Former US President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, his office reported on Sunday.
The 82-year-old former president was the oldest-serving president in American history until he left office in January.
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“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support,” the 46th president wrote in an X post on Monday.
The statement reported that the former president experienced urinary symptoms and was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason Score of 9 out of 10 – meaning the cancer can grow very rapidly. Biden’s office reported that his cancer had already spread to the surrounding bone.
But doctors also found that the disease appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for more effective treatment and management options, according to CNN.
Biden had declared his intention to run for another term in early 2024, but was forced to step aside after questions arose about his health – including his mental acuity – following a disastrous debate performance last summer against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Several Democratic leaders who initially backed Biden before the high-stakes talk eventually put pressure on the octogenarian to drop out of the race and have recently come forward to acknowledge that there were serious signs of Biden’s decline long before he stepped onto the debate stage.
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Biden’s health and Democrats’ awareness of his decline are the main topics of a recently released book entitled “Original Sin: Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson.
Some Democrats now say they believe that the party’s efforts to shield the public from Biden’s health issues contributed to their loss in November’s presidential election – and the historically low popularity of the democratic party today.
“Our party made a mistake, including the dozens of us who campaigned for him for re-election,” Representative Ro Khanna of California, who served on the 2024 Biden advisory board, told the New York Times last Friday.
A major element of Biden’s legacy as president includes his foreign policy approach and his role in mustering support for Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
When Kyiv was caught off guard with Moscow’s initial widespread attack in 2022, Biden marshalled the resources of the US and allies to provide a lifeline of support to Ukraine in the form of military support, financial assistance, and global leadership.
Critics have said that the weapons and aid sent by the US were too little, too late – and meant to help Ukraine hold the line against Russian forces instead of pushing them back.
Biden was also fiercely criticized by Trump and some MAGA supporters for giving billions in aid to Ukraine while other NATO countries contributed less to their beleaguered neighbor.
During his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to end the war in 24 hours after taking office, but has been unable to make meaningful progress after four months in the White House.
“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” Trump commented on his Truth Social platform on Monday.
Biden’s son Beau died from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2015.
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