Red Flags That Are Ringing Alarm Bells About Joe Biden's Health

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Joe Biden has endured many heartbreaking experiences in his life, and the hard times are apparently far from over. Throughout his presidential term, Biden was dogged by constant chatter about his fitness for office. For instance, Biden's 2024 State of the Union address raised concerns about his mental state because of the president's slow gait towards the podium. The murmurs only intensified during his one and only debate with Republican opponent Donald Trump that summer. Biden's raspy voice and verbal stumbles worked against him, as did the sight of his being helped off the stage by his wife. In contrast, Trump looked stronger and more energetic despite being only two years younger. 

Even as Biden withdrew from the race days later, his team worked overtime to reassure the public that it had nothing to do with his health. Yet it seems the former POTUS may not be as sound of body and mind as he claims. May 2025 brought about two massive bombshells about the 46th president. First, Biden's most recent medical exam resulted in some possibly worrisome results. And then, damning excerpts from an upcoming biography revealed that Biden may have been suffering from mental decline for quite some time — and that his staff tried to hide the truth from the world while he was still in the White House. Sadly, it all adds up to a bleak ending for what was once a hugely successful political career.

Already well into his 70s by the time he took office, Joe Biden was ridiculed by detractors as being old, confused, and feeble. Donald Trump was especially harsh, often calling him "Sleepy Joe" and declaring Biden to be the worst president in U.S. history. And according to a new book, those accusations may not be entirely unfounded. "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," out May 20, 2025, presents damning evidence that the former commander-in-chief was suffering from memory loss and physical weakness throughout his four years in D.C. 

Insiders detailed numerous instances where Biden blanked on familiar names and faces — including old pal George Clooney — while speaking to authors Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. "Clooney was shaken to his core," they claimed. "The president hadn't recognized him, a man he had known for years." The sure-to-be bestseller also describes the lengths to which White House aides went to disguise Biden's declining mobility, from creating shorter walkways to surrounding him with staff so as not to call attention to his gait. Biden's own doctor worried what might happen if he took a bad fall. 

In fact, as the authors divulged, "Biden's physical deterioration — most apparent in his halting walk — had become so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair." Further, "Original Sin" also argues that the president's insistence on running for re-election was a selfish move considering, by the time his team finally acknowledged that Biden wasn't capable of another four years, it was too late for Kamala Harris to fully position herself as a solid candidate. Biden essentially handed the White House back to Trump, and the authors reckon he has only himself to blame.

Coincidentally, Joe Biden underwent a checkup right around the time the media began teasing the juiciest elements of "Original Sin" ahead of its release. In a statement to ABC News, a spokesperson confirmed, "In a routine physical exam a small nodule was found in the prostate which necessitated further evaluation." That nodule may well turn out to be nothing serious, of course. But if it does prove to be prostate cancer, Biden's options would depend on the size of the tumor itself. In an earlier stage, doctors may simply monitor the tumor for signs of growth; later-stage cancer may require surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or other treatments.

Naturally, King Charles III's ongoing cancer crisis comes to mind. His condition was also discovered during a routine exam, though the palace maintains he doesn't have prostate cancer. But unlike a British monarch whose duties are largely ceremonial, a president has a country to run. Had Biden remained in the race and won, things would be very different right now. Kamala Harris and other staffers would have to shoulder more responsibilities if Biden's medical treatment required him to limit his activities. No matter what the outcome, this latest news is yet another reason to worry that the former commander-in-chief isn't the picture of health he wants us to think he is.