Former first lady Dr. Jill Biden has acknowledged that former President Joe Biden will be living with cancer for the rest of his life, even as he continues to maintain a demanding public schedule that has inevitably slowed with age and illness.<
Speaking during a discussion with political commentator and "The View" co-host Ana Navarro about her new book, "View From the East Wing: A Memoir," Biden recounted how her husbands diagnosis unfolded while he was still in the Oval Office. According to Fox News, she said that during his presidency, when he had a full team of physicians at his disposal, she noticed he was waking up repeatedly at night.
She recalled telling the audience that the then-president was getting up seven times a night to use the bathroom and that she assumed White House medical staff would investigate. But when they left the White House in 2025 and the problem persisted, she said she finally insisted he see a specialist.
Biden described how she pushed her husband to consult a urologist once they were back in private life in Delaware. At that first appointment, she said, the doctor quickly raised alarms, telling them, "Theres something there," and ordering a CAT scan that would soon confirm their worst fears.
"I never imagined it would be prostate cancer," she admitted, reflecting on the shock of the diagnosis. "I just never imagined it."
She went on to explain that while prostate cancer can sometimes be "cured," her husbands case is far more serious. "The problem with Joe it's stage four, and it has metastasized to his bones. So that puts things on a whole different level. I mean, Joe will have to live with cancer for the rest of his life, which means he's on special medicines."
The former first lady detailed the grueling treatment regimen that followed, including weeks of radiation therapy. She said the couple spent five weeks traveling constantly from their home in Delaware to Philadelphia for his sessions, a punishing routine for any patient, let alone an octogenarian.
"You know, it takes a toll," she said, emphasizing the physical and emotional strain of the process. Yet she noted that the former president has refused to retreat from public life, pointing out that on Friday he was in South Dakota for a Democratic Party event, on Saturday he attended a friends wedding, and on Sunday he is scheduled to be in Philadelphia.
"He keeps his schedule, but hes slowed down," she acknowledged, underscoring the reality of his condition. "I mean, stage four cancer is and he's 83 so, I think the mix of everything and the medications that he's taken has made life a little more difficult these days."
When asked how she is coping personally, Biden was candid about the burdens of her new role. "Its hard to be a caretaker," she said, noting that her husband would likely bristle at that description, but conceding that she is the one managing the details of his care.
"I have to make sure he gets the right medications," she explained, outlining the daily responsibilities that now fall on her shoulders. "I'm the one talking to the doctors. I'm the one setting up the appointments. I'm the one to make sure that he eats well."
Joe Biden publicly disclosed his cancer diagnosis in May 2025, a revelation that intensified scrutiny of his health and fitness, particularly after his troubled 2024 debate performance. Earlier this week, the former first lady told the "Today" show that despite everything, her husband is "doing OK."
"He's out making speeches, and he's traveling on Amtrak," she added, highlighting his determination to remain active. "He was just at the Delaware Memorial Bridge for the veteran's ceremony. So yeah, he's doing a lot, but he has stage 4 cancer."
Biden and Navarro also revisited the political fallout from that June 2024 debate, which triggered a wave of panic among Democrats and ultimately led to Bidens withdrawal from the race. She recalled a quiet moment at their Delaware home when the former president finally conceded the inevitable, turning to her and saying, "I have no choice."
The former first lady admitted that the reaction from within her own party left deep scars. She said it was "hurtful" to watch Democrats many of them longtime allies publicly demand that her husband step aside, even as they had benefited from his decades in public service.
She noted that Joe Biden has since mended fences with some of his critics, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was widely reported to have been privately urging him to exit the race. Biden said the two reconciled at the January funeral for Tatiana Schlossberg, the daughter of Caroline Kennedy, though she herself has not followed suit.
The 75-year-old acknowledged that she still has not spoken to Pelosi, a telling sign of lingering tensions inside the Democratic establishment. She also argued that the discourse surrounding her husbands age and mental acuity has been marked by bias when contrasted with the treatment of President Donald Trump, who will turn 80 on June 14.
She said she believes there has been a "double standard" in how the media and political class discuss the two mens capacities, a complaint that echoes long-standing conservative criticism of partisan coverage. Looking beyond Trumps eventual departure from office, Biden said she is hoping for a leader defined by character rather than celebrity or ideological extremism.
For the next president after Trump leaves office, Biden said she wants someone who embodies integrity, trustworthiness, and empathy, though she declined to endorse any specific figure. "They're the characteristics of the American people," she said. "That's who we are."
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