Joe Biden stated that he would have resigned from the office of President of the United States and also ended his re-election campaign in 2024 if he had received a cancer diagnosis during his presidential term.
The statement was made in interviews given to People magazine, where he said: «[...] If I had known I was feeling unwell because I had cancer, I would have resigned».
The 83-year-old president added that he would not have run again, as he believes that «no one who is 80 years old and has cancer should run» for president.
It is relevant to note that the former president withdrew from the presidential candidacy in July 2024 and offered support to his vice president Kamala Harris to face Donald Trump in the White House race. This contest ended with the Democrat's defeat, who yielded victory to the current president, although she maintained that it was time to «roll up her sleeves».
The decision to leave the race occurred amid criticism already directed at Biden, including concerns from members of the Democratic Party. During the last debate with Trump, Biden showed little energy and commented to People that «there is no one who hasn't made a mistake in the debate».
In May of the previous year, Biden announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which had spread to his bones. In his memoir, titled «Promise Me, America», which will be released on November 17, Biden wrote: «All I can do - with the team of my incredible medical team and even more with my family - is fight with everything. And that is what I am doing».
Regarding his health condition, Biden also spoke with People magazine, informing that things are progressing in the most positive way possible. He mentioned that there are people diagnosed with cancer, especially the type he has, who live long lives, for ten or twenty years. He continued saying that the tests conducted so far indicate that the cancer has not metastasized beyond what was already present, and that he takes eight different medications daily.
