An 80-year-old man with cancer shouldn’t run: Biden wouldn’t have sought a second term in 2024 if he knew

Cancer and the campaign

Biden said he did not know about his cancer while he was president. He told interviewers that, had he understood cancer was behind feeling unwell, he would not have pursued reelection.

Debate and withdrawal

Biden said the June 2024 debate with Republican Donald Trump was not a seismic event, although it intensified Democratic concerns about his age and his chances of winning. He was 81 at the time.

Within weeks, Biden ended his campaign and backed Vice President Kamala Harris. She won the nomination but lost to Trump in the general election.

Comments on his son

Biden defended Hunter Biden’s public image and his decision to pardon him after Hunter’s 2024 conviction on federal felony gun charges and guilty plea to federal tax charges. Hunter had also faced years of scrutiny over his international business dealings.

Biden said he expected Trump to target people associated with him if he did not issue the pardon. He called Hunter “one of the brightest men I know” and said he was proud of him.