Joe Biden’s recent diagnosis of prostate cancer has reignited concerns about his health during his presidency. The former president’s office confirmed that he had not undergone a prostate-specific antigen test, a commonly used blood test to check for prostate cancer, for over a decade before his recent diagnosis. This revelation has drawn criticism from some allies, who questioned how his doctors failed to detect the condition despite the close attention his annual physicals received. Biden’s diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer with bone metastasis has shaken Washington, as many Democrats grapple with reports of his declining health during his final two years in the Oval Office, raising questions about his fitness for the 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump, who has previously challenged Biden’s health, seized on the situation to question the timing of the diagnosis and the former president’s mental acuity. Even some allies have expressed doubts about how Biden’s doctors missed the condition, despite the scrutiny his annual physicals attracted as president. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that men over the age of 70 refrain from routine prostate cancer screening. Biden was in his early 70s in 2014, during his time as vice president under Barack Obama. This has intensified debates about whether Biden’s health assessments were adequate during his presidency. The controversy has deepened discussions about the former president’s physical condition and its potential impact on the upcoming election.