Biden's 2022 'I Have Cancer' Claim Goes Viral Again After Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: WATCH

A 2022 video of Joe Biden claiming "I have cancer" is resurfacing after his team confirmed a recent diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer. The White House previously dismissed the statement as a reference to past skin cancer treatment.

US President Joe Biden during a speech (IANS)

A 2022 video of Joe Biden announcing he had cancer has come back into circulation and gone viral after confirmation of the former US President's recent prostate cancer diagnosis. The July 20, 2022, clip has Biden speaking to the press as he visited Somerset, Massachusetts, where he was talking about the environment and the health effects of oil refineries in Delaware, his home state. "That’s why I, and so damn many other people I grew up with, have cancer," Biden declared, leaving widespread speculation then.

White House officials immediately played down the comment as a misstatement. The administration explained that Biden had undergone treatment in the past for non-melanoma skin cancers and that he was talking about past conditions, not an active diagnosis. Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich said the President had "mistakenly stated (present tense) that he has cancer." 

Cancer Diagnosis Confirmed In 2025

Now, almost three years ago, Biden's team officially announced that the 82-year-old has been diagnosed with an aggressive type of prostate cancer. The revival of the 2022 video caused the media to cast further questions and speculation on the timing of his diagnosis.

Following a release from Biden's office, the diagnosis came after urinary complications in early January. Medical examinations yielded a high-grade tumour with a Gleason score of 9, which means a rapidly growing and potentially dangerous variety of cancer. Physicians, however, have indicated that the disease is hormone-sensitive and curable with proper therapies.

Political Fallout and Cover-Up Allegations

Diagnosis has also been politically divisive, with Donald Trump Jr., the son of the former US President Donald Trump, suggesting that the health condition of Biden might have been concealed from the public. "What I want to know is how Dr. Jill Biden missed stage five metastatic cancer, or is this yet another cover-up?" he tweeted on the social media site X.

Remember when Biden said he had cancer in 2022?!?!?pic.twitter.com/Dwh2n5sE0D — Spitfire (@DogRightGirl) May 18, 2025

Adding to the drama, an upcoming political scandal book called Original Sin allegedly claims that officials in Biden's inner circle — including First Lady Jill Biden — had knowledge of his worsening physical health but chose not to reveal it when he ran for president in 2024.

While Biden was certified as "completely fit for the Presidency" by White House doctors in mid-2024, fears for his physical and mental well-being continued to be voiced. He eventually dropped out of the 2024 contest in July, supporting Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party candidate.

Longstanding Battle With Cancer

Biden's own tie to cancer is very personal. In 2015, his son Beau Biden passed away from brain cancer, a loss that pushed the then-Vice President to spearhead the Cancer Moonshot project within the Obama administration. He frequently invokes the battle against cancer as one of the greatest crusades of his life.

Even as he stepped back from active political life, Biden has indicated he still intends to push cancer research and treatment access forward.