Washington DC - Former President Joe Biden used a recent interview to say he never would have run for a second term in 2024 if he'd known he had prostate cancer.
In an interview with PEOPLE ahead of the release of his new memoir, Biden said he doesn't believe his disastrous debate performance in 2024 was "very consequential" but that he wouldn't have sought a second term if he'd known about his cancer.
Four months after leaving office in January 2025, the former president – who ended up dropping out of race and being replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris – was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
His treatment has reportedly left him weak and unwell, but has been relatively successful. In November, he admitted that "it slows me down" and will have an impact on his book tour.
Biden admitted in the interview with PEOPLE that he had been feeling "lousy" long before being diagnosed with prostate cancer, and expressed regret for not having found out sooner.
"If I had known that I was feeling lousy because I had cancer, I would have resigned," Biden admitted. "I would've not gone forward, because I don't think an 80-year-old man with cancer should be running."
"But that wasn't the case… I believe that on an objective basis, I was the best-equipped person to do the job," he continued, stressing that he didn't hide anything from the public.
"I didn’t do that." he said. "We let the public know when I found out, when I knew what was going on."
"I think it's important for a national leader, as president, to let people know they go through some of the very same things that a lot of American people are going through."