Former US President Joe Biden delivered his first public address since the announcement of his Stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis, participating in a Memorial Day commemoration in his home state of Delaware on Friday.
Speaking to reporters following the event, Biden addressed his health and his decision not to seek re-election in 2024.
Biden firmly dismissed any concerns regarding his cognitive and physical fitness. "You can see that I‘m mentally incompetent and I can‘t walk, and I can beat the hell out of both of them," he quipped in response to a reporter's query about discussions surrounding his health during his presidency.
When pressed on Democrats questioning his original re-election bid, Biden retorted, "Why didn‘t they run against me then? Because I‘d have beaten them."
Despite these strong assertions, Biden maintained he had "no regrets" about withdrawing from the 2024 race, emphasizing, "We‘re in a really difficult moment, not only in American history and world history."
Regarding his health prognosis, the former president indicated he is currently undergoing treatment and that his doctors are "very optimistic."
He elaborated, "It‘s all a matter of taking a pill, one particular pill... And the expectation is we‘re going to be able to beat this. There‘s no it‘s not in any organ. My bones are strong. It hasn‘t penetrated. So I‘m feeling good."
Last week, Biden's office announced his diagnosis with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone. A spokesperson noted, "While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management."
Later, a spokesperson for the former president revealed that Biden's last Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test, a common screening method for the disease, was conducted in 2014, during his tenure as Vice President.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)