Trump Rips Biden Over Alleged Cancer Cover-Up Claims
The first portrait of Joe Biden as president of the United States. Photo courtesy of the White House. Public domain.
On Monday, President Donald Trump extended his well-wishes to Joe Biden after news broke of the former President's aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis — but not without raising some sharply worded questions about how and when that diagnosis was discovered. What began as a message of sympathy quickly turned into a pointed critique of Biden's medical history, his inner circle, and what Trump is calling "dangerous for our country," according to the New York Post.
The timing of Biden's diagnosis has sparked a political firestorm. And it's not just Trump fanning the flames — skepticism is coming from medical professionals, former aides, and even longtime Democratic allies.
A Diagnosis Years in the Making?
Biden's office confirmed on May 18 that the 82-year-old former President has been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. According to the New York Post, the cancer scored a 9 on the Gleason scale, marking it as high-grade and aggressive — the kind that typically grows and spreads rapidly if left untreated.
Doctors say such a score suggests the disease had likely been developing for years. According to AL Jazeera, pathologist Steven Quay said, "For even with the most aggressive form, it is a 5-7 year journey without treatment before it becomes metastatic. Meaning, it would be malpractice for this patient to show up and be first diagnosed with metastatic disease in May 2025. It is highly likely he was carrying a diagnosis of prostate cancer throughout his White House tenure and the American people were uninformed."
Yale radiologist Howard Forman also questioned the official timeline, calling it "inconceivable." According to Forman, an elevated PSA — the blood test used to screen for prostate issues — would have flagged the problem much earlier, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Peter Nelson of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center noted that while rare, some cases can spread quickly within one to two years. "This would not be common, but definitely happens," Nelson said, as reported by Al Jazeera. But even he acknowledged that the usual pattern for prostate cancer is a slow progression detectable with routine tests — the kind Biden likely received during his years in office.
Trump Points Finger at Biden's Medical Team
Speaking in the Oval Office on May 19, President Trump didn't hold back. "I'm surprised the public wasn't notified a long time ago," he told reporters, according to the New York Post. "To get to stage nine, that's a long time."
Trump took aim directly at Biden's longtime physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, who gave Biden a clean bill of health in February 2024 — a report that made no mention of a prostate exam. At the time, O'Connor declared that he "identified no new concerns," according to the New York Post.
"If you take a look, it's the same doctor that said Joe was cognitively fine, there was nothing wrong with him," Trump said, according to Al Jazeera. "There are things going on that the public wasn't informed of, and I think somebody is going to have to speak to his doctor."
Don Jr. Isn't Holding Back
While Donald Trump Jr. began with a post wishing the Bidens a "speedy recovery," according to PEOPLE, his tone shifted quickly to accusations and conspiracies — a move that mirrors broader MAGA-world reactions on social media.
Trump Jr. took to X to accuse the Biden family — and specifically Dr. Jill Biden — of complicity. "What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup???" he posted, according to PEOPLE.
While Trump Jr. incorrectly asserted Biden was diagnosed with "stage five" cancer, the broader point he made echoed his father's — that the diagnosis timeline doesn't add up. According to PEOPLE, in another X post, he wrote, "Joe says he had cancer 2 years ago & everyone said it's a gaffe. When he clearly had dementia, everyone said he's lucid. Now that he's no longer useful they're all shocked that they missed it. Everyone was in on the cover-up! Who was running the country? We need accountability!".
Allies Ask: Was Biden Fit to Serve?
Questions about Biden's fitness aren't new — but the cancer diagnosis has added new weight. As recently as June 2024, Biden's debate performance drew fire after repeated stumbles and memory lapses on stage, which critics now argue could have been linked to underlying illness.
Reports from a forthcoming book, "Original Sin," by Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson, allege that Biden's inner circle had long shielded his visible decline from the public eye, according to the Daily Beast. Also, Axios released six hours of Biden's 2023 interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, in which the then-president repeatedly lost his train of thought and reportedly struggled to recall major dates.
Cover-Up or Coincidence?
Despite the backlash, Biden's office insists the diagnosis was recent — tied to new symptoms that emerged only days before he sought testing. According to the official statement, Biden was diagnosed on May 16 after reporting increasing urinary problems. The cancer had already metastasized to his bones by that point.
Doctors are now working with the Biden family to determine treatment options. But for political observers, the real question may no longer be about medical charts — it's about trust, transparency, and whether Americans were misled about who was leading the country.
References:Trump accuses Biden allies of 'not telling the facts' after cancer diagnosis: 'Dangerous for our country' | MAGA Immediately Turns Biden's Cancer Into Another Conspiracy | Donald Trump Jr. Mocks Jill Biden After Her Husband's Highly Aggressive Prostate Cancer Diagnosis | Biden's cancer diagnosis renews transparency outcry; Trump claims cover-up
