'We are going to beat this': Biden talks about his cancer diagnosis for the first time in public

On Friday, former US President Joe Biden spoke out in public for the first time after it was revealed that he was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. In his address at an event in Delaware, Biden said that he was optimistic about his prognosis but urged Americans to keep fighting to defend the American democracy.

“All the folks are very optimistic … The expectation is we are going to be able to beat this,” he said about the cancer diagnosis in his address. Biden was delivering a speech at the event commemorating members of the military killed in service. The ceremony was held just a few days after Memorial Day.

During his speech, the former president recalled how it would be the 10th anniversary of the death of his son Beau, who died of brain cancer at the age of 46. Earlier this month, it was announced that the veteran Democratic politician was suffering from an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.

He urges Americans to fight for democracy

During his speech, Biden spoke with vigour and passion to families of military men and women who lost in the line of duty. He drew a direct line between their sacrifice and what he said people need to do now.

“They are not asking us to risk our lives, they are asking us to stay true to what America stands for. They are not asking us to do their jobs, they are asking us to do our jobs – to protect our nation, in our time, now, to defend democracy,” he said.

In his address, Biden did not take the name of US President Donald Trump or his self-referential Memorial Day address. While speaking to the reporter after the address, Biden said that the US is at “an inflexion point where the decisions we make in the next little bit are going to determine what things look like for the next 20 years”.

Recalling his brief run in the 2024 US Presidential Election, Biden claimed that he had no regrets, despite being pressured into dropping out of his re-election campaign, and then watching Trump win back the White House. “No regrets,” he said, adding, “I’m very proud. I’ll put my record as president against any president at all.”

When asked about his cancer diagnosis, Biden told reporters that he had “No regrets,” he said, adding: “I’m very proud. I’ll put my record as president against any president at all.”

“It’s not in any organs, my bones are strong,” he said. He also mentioned that he was under the care of a world-class surgeon who had himself beaten prostate cancer three decades ago.