Overview

• Former President Joe Biden, 82, was diagnosed on May 16 with aggressive Gleason 9 prostate cancer that has metastasized to his bones.
• Vice President JD Vance publicly questioned Biden's fitness for office during his presidency, citing concerns about his physical health and decision-making capacity.
• Vance alleged that White House doctors and staffers withheld critical health information from the public, calling for greater transparency in presidential health disclosures.
• Biden’s February 2024 physical reported no signs of cancer, describing him as a ‘healthy, active, robust’ 81-year-old fit for the presidency, according to his physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor.
• The diagnosis has reignited broader debates over the implications of presidential health issues for national security, particularly in light of Biden’s role carrying the nuclear football.