- Biden says his prostate cancer hasn't spread more; he's completed radiation, is on hormone therapy, and feels very positive.
- He says he would not have run for reelection if he had known about his cancer, and he stepped aside after debate concerns.
- Biden defended pardoning Hunter as protection from expected Trump retaliation, criticized Trump's White House renovations as disturbing and beneath the country.
Former President Joe Biden has largely stayed out of the spotlight since leaving the White House. But in a new interview with PEOPLE Magazine, the 83-year-old opened up about everything from his cancer diagnosis to his decision to run for reelection in 2024 — and he has some choice words for President Trump.
The wide-ranging conversation offered a rare glimpse into Biden's life after the presidency, along with his thoughts on some of the most controversial moments of his time in office. And while he acknowledged making mistakes, there are some decisions he still stands by — including pardoning his son, Hunter.
The interview comes ahead of the release of his presidential memoir, Promise Me, America on Nov. 17. Biden recently announced that his cancer treatment would force him to scale back his book tour. "Some days are better than others. It hasn't stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down," he wrote in a lengthy post on X.
Here are six revelations from his PEOPLE interview we can't stop thinking about, including a shocking moment of sincerity from Trump.
Biden says his cancer hasn't spread further
In May 2025, Biden revealed that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Now, he says he's feeling “very positive” about his treatment.
According to Biden, two recent tests have shown that the cancer hasn't spread beyond where it was previously detected. The former president has also completed radiation and is undergoing hormone therapy. On top of that, he’s taking eight pills a day.
The diagnosis has changed daily life for the former first couple. Jill Biden said that she’s taken on a bigger role in managing her husband’s health. “My days are making sure he eats right. Does he exercise? Is he taking the right medicine? Did I talk to the doctor?” she told the magazine.
But there are brighter moments, too. Biden said he’s been spending plenty of time with his grandchildren. “They’re always here. ‘Can we come up, Pop? Pop, can we do this?’ I do more with my grandchildren than I do with anybody else.”
He still doesn't think his 2024 debate was that big of a deal
More than two years after his disastrous debate performance against President Trump sparked a political firestorm, Biden is standing by his assessment of what happened.
He acknowledged making mistakes during the debate but said he didn't consider the performance particularly consequential and had expected another chance to face Trump before the election.
“I don't know anybody who hasn't made a mistake in a debate,” he said, looking back.
The debate, as we now know, changed everything. It fueled concerns about Biden’s age and ability to serve another four years, ultimately leading him to drop out of the race in July 2024 and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.
He would've stepped aside if he'd known about his cancer diagnosis
Biden also addressed questions about whether his undiagnosed cancer affected his presidency — and whether he should have been running for another term in the first place.
He emphasized he wouldn't have continued his reelection campaign if he'd known about his cancer at the time. “I don't think an 80-year-old man with cancer should be running for [president],” he said. But Biden insisted he had no idea he was sick and that the disease hadn't affected his ability to do his job.
He also pushed back on accusations that he or his administration had concealed his illness from the public, saying he disclosed the diagnosis as soon as he learned about it.
Still, Biden stood by his original decision to seek a second term, arguing that his decades in politics made him uniquely qualified for the job. “I believe that on an objective basis, I was the best-equipped person to do the job,” he said.
Biden isn't a fan of Trump's White House makeover
Biden didn't mince words when asked about Trump's White House renovations, from the gold decorations in the Oval Office to the demolition of the East Wing.
“I mean, what the hell are we talking about?” Biden said, calling the changes “disturbing.”
When asked about the president’s decision to demolish the East Wing to make room for a new ballroom, Biden suggested the project was more about the president's ego than the historic building itself. “I find it beneath the country,” he added.
He was blown away by a letter Trump wrote him after he won the election
Biden offered a surprisingly different assessment of a private letter Trump left for him after the 2020 election. In the handwritten note, the president expressed confidence that Biden would "be true to yourself and the American people” — a strikingly warm message from someone who had spent months challenging the election results.
Biden seemed just as surprised by the tone. “That could have been written by President Kennedy to me or by President Johnson or by George Bush,” he said. “I mean, it was gracious, it was generous, and it was totally inconsistent with the kind of president he'd been.”
He has no regrets about pardoning his son
Biden defended one of the most controversial decisions of his presidency: pardoning his son Hunter Biden in December 2024, shortly before leaving office.
The former president disagreed with Hunter's own assessment that the move had been bad for the Constitution, the American people, and his father's legacy. Biden maintained that he needed to protect his family and associates from political retaliation by Trump. “I knew what he would do,” he said. “He would go back and try to do harm to them, as I've observed.”
As for his own legacy, Biden acknowledged that he hadn't gotten everything right but said he hoped Americans would remember his commitment to the country. “I hope I kept the promise of America,” he said. “I didn't say I didn't make mistakes — but I meant what I said, and I did what I said I was going to do.”
