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Biden says cancer will limit his promotion of upcoming memoir

Joe Biden writes on X that some days are better than others, and that his doctors remain encouraged by how he has responded to treatment.

Joe Biden in his official portrait in 2021
Joe Biden in his official portrait in 2021. Photo: Adam Schultz, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
29 news outlets reported this
Liberal13 outletsBiden's health limiting his book promotionCenter6 outletsOne of Biden's plainest admissions of cancer's tollConservative10 outletsBiden's own words on the book and cancer
ABRAnews EditorialPublished 1 min read
Overview

Former President Joe Biden said in a post on X on Sunday, Nov. 8, that his cancer will limit how much he can promote his memoir, Promise Me, America. The book is due out Nov. 17. "Some days are better than others," he wrote.

"It hasn't stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down." He said that means he won't be able to do as many conversations about the book as he had hoped.

He added that he hopes "the words on the page speak for themselves." Biden wrote that his physicians remain encouraged by the way he has responded to treatment. He said the book covers his years as president, the challenges faced and the decisions he made.

His office announced a prostate cancer diagnosis in May 2025, with spread to the bone. Hunter Biden told the BBC in August that the cancer had spread into his father's bones and further, and was very painful and very debilitating in many respects. Biden turns 84 on Nov. 20, three days after the book's release.

Key figures
  • November 17threlease date of Biden's memoir, as Biden wroteNewsweek
  • 84age Biden turns on Nov. 20UPI
  • Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5)cancer grade in Biden's office announcement of May 2025Newsweek

Three sides of the story

13Liberal6Center10Conservative

29 news outlets reported this

Tap a color or swipe sideways to switch sides.

Liberal13 outlets

Biden's health limiting his book promotion

The New York Times reports that Biden said his aggressive prostate cancer means he "won't be able to do as many conversations" to promote his forthcoming memoir as he had hoped. Its headline says his health will limit the book promotion as cancer "slows me down."

Center6 outlets

One of Biden's plainest admissions of cancer's toll

Newsweek calls the post one of Biden's plainest admissions of "what the past 18 months have cost him," and notes that the news about limited promotion came well into his message. It adds a timeline: the May 2025 diagnosis, radiation completed in October 2025, and Jill and Hunter Biden's later comments. It contrasts his July video, where he called treatment "going really well."

UPI is shorter. It leads with Biden being limited in promoting the memoir, quotes his post at length and adds Hunter Biden's BBC remarks that the cancer had "metastasized into his bones and further." Both note Biden turns 84 on Nov. 20 and the book is due Nov. 17.

Conservative10 outlets

Biden's own words on the book and cancer

Fox News headlines Biden's statement that cancer slowed him down and limits his memoir tour. It describes the book, "Promise Me, America," as a look back at his four years in the White House, including the pandemic, the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, legislation at home and diplomacy abroad, plus his choice to run again before stepping aside in 2024. Fox quotes Biden at length, including his words on "the great American experiment," and notes he was diagnosed in May 2025 with an aggressive prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.

Just the News puts in its headline that Biden cannot make as many appearances as he hoped, citing cancer recovery. It quotes him saying his doctors "continue to be encouraged" by his response to treatment, and runs his lines on his father's advice. The New York Post calls it a "heartbreaking update" in its headline and reports that Biden, 83, wrote on X that he will only make limited appearances.

All three quote his line "Some days are better than others."

All sources: 40 articles from 29 outlets

Liberal (15)

Center (10)

Conservative (15)

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