Former first lady Jill Biden is opening up about President Joe Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis, calling it 'shocking' and acknowledging that the White House medical team failed to catch it.
In a preview clip from an interview with CBS News's Rita Braver set to air this weekend, Jill Biden said the diagnosis came as a surprise despite the high level of care the couple received in the White House. 'I do feel we had amazing care in the White House, but somehow that was missed,' she said.
The former president revealed his prostate cancer diagnosis last May. A spokesperson later confirmed he was undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment. When pressed on whether White House physicians should have detected the cancer earlier, Jill Biden pointed to medical guidelines that recommend discontinuing Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) testing for men over 70. 'The doctor said that according to the American Urological Association, that men over 70 don't need a PSA, a blood test, anymore because it's a slow-growing cancer,' she explained.
The full interview will air on 'CBS News Sunday Morning.' It comes ahead of the June 2 release of Jill Biden's memoir, 'View from the East Wing,' which offers her perspective on the Biden presidency and its impact on the family.
In another clip released earlier, Jill Biden described feeling 'frightened' as she watched her husband struggle during the 2024 CNN presidential debate against Donald Trump. 'I thought, 'Oh my god, he's having a stroke,' and it scared me to death,' she said.
Jill Biden has faced criticism from some Democrats who accused her of pushing the president to stay in the race after his poor debate performance. He eventually withdrew and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in the general election.
The former first lady's comments add a personal dimension to the ongoing political fallout from Biden's health and debate performance. Trump has mocked Jill Biden's stroke claim, suggesting his own debate performance caused Biden's collapse.
