Former First Lady Jill Biden is offering a sobering glimpse into life after the White House, revealing that former President Joe Biden’s battle with advanced prostate cancer has significantly altered his daily routine and will remain a permanent part of his life moving forward.
Speaking during a book event while promoting her memoir, View From the East Wing, Jill Biden discussed the reality of her husband’s diagnosis and the challenges that come with treating an aggressive cancer that has already spread beyond its original site.
“It’s stage four, and it has metastasized to his bones,” she said. “So that puts things on a whole different level.”
The former first lady emphasized that while treatments are helping manage the disease, the diagnosis is not one that simply goes away.
“Joe will have to live with cancer for the rest of his life,” she explained. “Which means he’s on special medicines.”
The comments provide one of the most detailed public accounts yet of the former president’s condition since his diagnosis became public.
According to Jill Biden, the first signs that something might be wrong appeared long before the cancer was discovered. While Joe Biden was still serving as president, she noticed he was getting up repeatedly during the night.
“I observed him using the bathroom about seven times every night,” she recalled.
Even then, cancer was not her first concern.
“I never imagined it would be prostate cancer,” she said. “I just never imagined it.”
Questions surrounding the timing of the diagnosis have lingered since the cancer was announced. Critics and observers alike have wondered why the disease was not detected earlier during Biden’s presidency.
His team has previously explained that he stopped receiving routine prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, blood tests around 2014 because of his age, a decision that has fueled debate among medical experts and political commentators.
For Jill Biden, the focus now is less on how the cancer was discovered and more on managing the day-to-day realities of treatment.
“You know, it takes a toll,” she said.
The former first lady acknowledged that her husband remains active and continues to keep a schedule, but she also admitted there have been noticeable changes.
“He keeps his schedule, but he’s slowed down.”
At 83 years old, Biden is facing not only the physical effects of cancer itself but also the demands of ongoing treatment.
“I mean, stage four cancer is — and he’s 83,” Jill said. “So, I think the mix of everything and the medications that he’s taken has made life a little more difficult these days.”
Despite those challenges, she insisted the former president remains engaged. She recently revealed that he attended a Democratic Party event in South Dakota, pointing to it as evidence that he continues participating in public life when his health allows.
Much of Jill Biden’s discussion focused on her own role as caregiver.
“It’s hard to be a caretaker,” she admitted.
She described handling many of the responsibilities that come with managing a serious illness.
“I have to make sure he gets the right medications,” she said.
“I’m the one talking to the doctors. I’m the one setting up the appointments. I’m the one to make sure that he eats well.”
The remarks come as Jill Biden continues a media tour for her memoir, a process that has inevitably led to renewed questions about the final years of her husband’s presidency and the political turmoil surrounding his decision to seek reelection in 2024.
