Trump suggests without evidence that Biden delayed sharing his cancer diagnosis

President Trump takes questions from reporters astatine an arena successful nan Oval Office connected May 19, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

President Trump suggested without grounds connected Monday that erstwhile President Joe Biden had delayed sharing his prostate crab diagnosis, saying it was portion of a shape of nan Biden White House covering up nan erstwhile president's decline.

Trump — who initially had been gracious aft Biden first announced his test connected Sunday — quickly pivoted connected Monday to suggestions that nan erstwhile president had been little than forthcoming astir his health.

"I'm amazed that nan nationalist wasn't notified a agelong clip agone because to get to Stage 9, that's a agelong time," Trump said, erstwhile a newsman asked for remark astir nan test astatine an unrelated arena astatine nan White House.

Trump appeared to conflate nan Gleason score — a measurement of really fierce crab cells look to beryllium — pinch nan shape of Biden's cancer. Biden's Gleason people was 9, indicating it is aggressive. He has Stage 4 cancer, nan astir superior of nan 4 stages. (There is not a Stage 9 cancer.)

Trump besides said that he believed screening for prostate crab was "standard" successful beingness exams. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force does not urge that men complete nan property of 70 get regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening because nan imaginable harms outweigh nan benefits. The task unit recommends that men ages 55 to 69 talk PSA screening pinch their doctors.

"I deliberation that if you return a look, it's nan aforesaid expert that said that Joe was cognitively fine," Trump said. "And that's being proven to beryllium a sad situation." He insinuated that Biden officials had been efficaciously moving nan agency by using nan autopen to motion documents — a spurious mentation connected nan far-right.

Biden's individual agency did not instantly remark connected Trump's assertions.

Disclosures of aesculapian accusation are up to nan White House

Presidents are not obligated to uncover their aesculapian records, and location is simply a long history of presidents concealing their aesculapian issues. Disclosures of physicals is near up to nan White House.

Trump, who himself has been less than forthcoming astir his wellness information successful caller years, noted that he had been screened for prostate crab during his caller physical. He besides pointed retired that he had been fixed a cognitive test, which Biden had not.

Biden's last statesmanlike physical was successful February 2024. At nan time, nan White House said that nan exam drew connected nan expertise of 20 doctors, but did not impact a cognitive exam — thing his property caput said was not required fixed his regular capacity of a rigorous job.

There had been concerns astir Biden's property raised successful a typical counsel study that described him arsenic a "sympathetic, well-meaning, aged man pinch a mediocre memory." When Biden froze up during a statesmanlike statement pinch Trump successful June, his expert released a missive pinch much details astir visits pinch a neurologist.

That statement prompted Democratic leaders to push Biden to driblet retired of nan race. After Vice President Kamala Harris mislaid nan predetermination to Trump, galore blamed Biden for insisting he could tally for a 2nd term.

The issues are portion of a caller book astir Biden's decline and efforts made by his unit to conceal it from voters.

Trump told reporters connected Monday that nan deficiency of nationalist accusation astir Biden's wellness had been "dangerous for our country" and pointed to Russia's warfare successful Ukraine arsenic an example. Trump often blames that warfare connected Biden, moreover though it was started by Russia.

"I consciousness very severely astir it, and I deliberation group should effort and find retired what happened," Trump said, suggesting that "somebody is not telling nan facts."