Former US president Joe Biden scales back memoir tour amid cancer treatment
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Former US president Joe Biden is scaling back his memoir tour as prostate cancer treatment slows him.
His health now limits how publicly he can promote a book about his presidency.
Background
Joe Biden is the former US president, 83, who turns 84 on November 20 and is the oldest living president; his memoir "Promise Me, America" recounts his years in the White House. In May 2025, less than four months after leaving office, he revealed he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. He has since had hormone therapy and radiation, and said in September 2026 that doctors had seen the results they hoped for. The tour cutback is trending because it is the clearest public sign yet of how treatment is affecting his schedule.
How it unfolded
- May 2025Biden revealed he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer after urinary symptoms; doctors found a prostate nodule and the cancer had spread to his bones. His office said it was a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) cancer with metastasis to the bone.
- Fall 2025Biden's treatment included hormone therapy and radiation.
- Aug 2026Hunter Biden told the BBC his father's cancer had "metastasized into his bones and further."
- Sep 2026Biden said his doctors had seen the results they hoped for from the radiation treatment.
- Oct 26, 2026Biden surprised about 50 USC students, joining a study group led by longtime adviser Mike Donilon for a conversation about democracy and public service.
- Nov 8, 2026Biden said in a post on X that he will scale back his book promotion tour, saying treatment has at times slowed him down; he said "Promise Me, America" will be released Nov. 17.
- Nov 9, 2026Bloomberg and Deadline reported Biden is limiting public appearances to promote the memoir, citing his ongoing prostate cancer treatment.
Key terms
- Gleason score
- A number from a prostate biopsy's microscopic appearance used to predict prostate cancer prognosis and guide treatment.
- metastasis
- The spread of a pathogenic agent, typically cancer cells, from a primary site to a secondary site in the body.
- hormone therapy
- The medical use of hormones or hormone antagonists to treat disease, including cancer.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Biden said some days are better than others and treatment "hasn't stopped me" but sometimes slows him down, so he won't be able to do as many book conversations as he had hoped.
- Family
- Hunter Biden told the BBC his father's cancer had spread "into his bones and further," calling it "really sad to watch" and saying he wishes his father would complain more.
Still unverified
The claim that Biden made "probably over 40 calls" congratulating Democrats after the midterms was attributed to a source familiar and was not confirmed by Biden's office.