President Donald Trump described on Monday to the diagnosis of cancer of former President Joe Biden “very sad” before asking questions about the moment of public dissemination of Biden’s disease.
“I think it’s very sad, really,” Trump said as he takes questions at the Oval office. “I am surprised that it was not, you know, the public was not notified long ago because to get to stage nine, that’s a long time.”
Trump then seemed to try to doubt the doctors in charge of Biden’s health during and after his presidency, stating that “someone is not saying the facts.”
President Donald Trump speaks while honoring the agents of the fallen law, in the Oval Office of the White House, on May 19, 2025.
Jim Watson/AFP through Getty Images
The Biden office said Sunday that they had diagnosed on Friday with prostate cancer, saying that although it was “a more aggressive form of the disease, cancer seems to be sensitive to hormones, which allows effective management.”
The statement said Biden cancer had a “9” Gleason score. The Gleason classification system, or the Gleason score, which generally ranges between 6 and 10, refers to the probability that cancer progresses and spreads, but does not predict the result.
During his comments on Monday, Trump repeatedly referred to Biden cancer as in “stage nine”, instead of the Gleason score. He also seemed to claim that the doctor who saw Biden could also have covered a mental decrease in Biden.
“And it has been coming to that situation for a long time. Now, I think, you know, to reach a stage nine, I think, if you look, he is the same doctor who said that Joe was cognitively well.
“In other words, things are happening that the public was not informed. And I think someone will have to talk to their doctor if it is the same, or even if they are two separate doctors,” he said. “Why wasn’t the cognitive ability, why didn’t that be discussed? And I think the doctor said it’s fine. And it turned out that this is not very dangerous. Look, this is no longer politically correct. This is dangerous for our country,” Trump said.
Joe and Jill Biden said Monday that they were grateful for the “love and support” they received since the former president’s office announced his cancer diagnosis on Sunday.
“Cancer touches us all,” said the couple in A publication in the social networks of Joe Biden. “Like many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are stronger in broken places. Thank you for getting up with love and support.”
The publication included a photo of the couple, along with their cat, Willow.
The White House Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, was asked on Monday if Trump had spoken directly after the diagnosis of biden prostate cancer.
“No, I know, I don’t think they talked, but I’m sure the president would be open to do so,” Leavitt said. “I talked to him last night about the cancer diagnosis of the former president and the statement he took was the initial reaction he had with me on the phone too.”
Trump wrote on his social networks on Sunday: “Melania and I was sad to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our best and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a quick and successful recovery.”
President Joe Biden kisses his wife, the first lady Jill Biden, after giving the opening speech the first day of the National Democratic Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024.
Mandel and/AFP
The diagnosis of Biden cancer occurs after a small nodule was found in the former president’s prostate after “a physical examination of routine,” a spokesman said on Tuesday. The discovery of the nodule “required an additional evaluation,” said his spokesman at that time.
The feeling in the publication of Joe Biden’s social networks about being stronger in the “broken places” derives from a line widely used in “Farewell to Arms”, a novel by Ernest Hemingway, which says: “The world breaks everyone and then many are strong in broken places.” It is an appointment that drove has often applied in difficult and important times, both in their life and for the general public.
Biden used the phrase in 2016, since he opened his speech at the National Democratic Convention. He then cited the line in March 2021, since the country marked the first anniversary of the Covid-19 Pandemic statement. And he repeated it in September 2021, on the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, using Hemingway’s words in his tribute to the victims.
ABC News ABC Harper, Brittany Shepherd, Eric M. Strauss and Leah Sarnoff contributed to this report.
