President Trump on Monday questioned why former President Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis was not caught and disclosed sooner.
“I think it’s very sad, actually. I’m surprised that it wasn’t, you know, the public wasn’t notified a long time ago,” Trump said of his predecessor’s diagnosis, which was publicized on Sunday.
Trump called a prostate test “very standard” as part of a medical exam for men. A test that screens for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood is often used to detect prostate cancer, as is a rectal exam. Those screenings are not typically recommended for men 70 and older, however.
“I think that if you take a look, it’s the same doctor that said Joe was cognitively fine. There was nothing wrong with him…that’s being proven to be a sad situation,” Trump said.
The president offered praise for his own White House medical team, as well as the doctors at Walter Reed, where presidents typically go for their annual physical exams.
“The other thing is you have to say, why did it take so long? When you — this takes a long time, it could take years to get to this level of danger,” Trump added. “So look, it’s a very, very sad situation, and I feel very badly about it. And I think people should try and find out what happened.”
A Biden spokesperson confirmed Sunday that the former president has an aggressive form of prostate cancer that was discovered Friday “after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” adding that it has spread to his bones.
As news of his cancer diagnosis spread, Biden’s allies and rivals posted well wishes and tributes across social media.
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” Biden posted Monday morning on X.
The former president, who is 82, has been in the spotlight in recent weeks amid new reporting about his mental sharpness while in office and his decision to run for reelection before ultimately dropping out of the race last July.
