Former US president Joe Biden says his fight with aggressive prostate cancer is forcing him to pull back from a full-scale promotional push for his forthcoming memoir, noting that the disease can leave him struggling from day to day.
The 83-year-old Democrat, whose cognitive decline became a central concern during his presidency and ultimately derailed his attempt to remain in power, said he will not be able to make as many public appearances as he had envisioned ahead of the 17 November publication of “Promise Me, America.”
“Some days are better than others. It hasn’t stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down,” Mr Biden wrote on X.
“What that means is, unfortunately, I won’t be able to do as many conversations about my book as I’d hoped. However, I’m hopeful the words on the page speak for themselves.”
Mr Biden disclosed in May 2025 — four months after leaving the White House — that doctors had diagnosed him with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.
He has since undergone radiation and hormone therapy. In August, his son Hunter said the disease had advanced further and was causing considerable pain.
Even as he acknowledges limitations, Mr Biden offered a measure of encouragement about his condition, saying his doctors “continue to be encouraged” by how he is responding to treatment.
The memoir looks back on his four years in the White House, covering his management of the Covid-19 pandemic, his widely criticised withdrawl from Afghanistan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the politically fraught decision to seek reelection in 2024 before later withdrawing — a move some Democrats argued helped deliver the presidency to Donald Trump.
In an excerpt published by The Atlantic, Biden sharply criticised his successor in connection with the 2021 assault on the US Capitol.
“What Trump did on January 6, 2021, should never be forgotten. It should follow him to his grave,” Mr Biden wrote.
He also recounts an unexpectedly cordial Oval Office meeting with President Trump after the Republican’s 2024 election victory, during which his successor suggested the two might have been friends outside politics.
Mr Biden ended his reelection bid in July 2024 after a disastrous debate against Mr Trump intensified scrutiny of his age, mental capacity and fitness for office.
Vice President Kamala Harris went on to lose the election, paving the way for Mr Trump’s return to the White House.
Mr Biden said the book would lay out how he arrived at key choices while in office and underscore his belief in American democracy.
