Biden limits memoir promotion as he undergoes cancer treatment

Former President Joe Biden says cancer treatment will limit his appearances to promote his upcoming memoir, though his doctors are encouraged by his response.

“Some days are better than others,” Biden, 83, wrote in a post on X on Sunday. “It hasn’t stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down.” He said he would not “be able to do as many conversations about my book as I’d hoped,” adding, “I’m hopeful the words on the page speak for themselves.”

The memoir, “Promise me, America,” is due out Nov. 17. Biden said it covers the challenges of his four years in the White House, “the decisions I made, and why I made them.” Above all, he wrote, it is about his “faith in the American people and the great American experiment in self-governance and democracy.”

Biden announced in May 2025, four months after leaving office, that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. He has since undergone radiation therapy and hormone treatment, according to NBC News. His office has also disclosed that he underwent surgery to remove cancerous skin cells.

In an August interview with the BBC, his son Hunter Biden said the prostate cancer had spread. “The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” he said. “It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating in many respects.” He added: “It’s really sad to watch.” Former first lady Jill Biden previously told NBC News, “I think Joe will live with cancer till the rest of his life.”

Biden said Sunday that his doctors were “encouraged by how I’ve responded to treatment.” He thanked people for their prayers and well wishes and vowed to keep fighting. He also said he and Jill Biden were grateful for the support they had received since his diagnosis became public.

The book examines Biden’s campaign, presidency and decision to seek a second term, according to publisher Hachette Book Group. The publisher says it describes the “deeply agonizing calculation” behind his decision to leave the 2024 presidential race. Biden later endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after mounting pressure to step aside. He was the oldest person to serve as U.S. president, and his age and health were sources of concern during his time in office, NBC News reported. He has also defended himself against accusations about his mental acuity and memory.

The Guardian reported that the memoir addresses the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and President Donald Trump’s return to office. “Donald Trump led an insurrection,” Biden wrote in an excerpt quoted by the newspaper. “The rioters weren’t ‘peaceful protesters’. They came armed to stop the official certification of a legitimate election.”

Biden also criticized Trump’s pardons of more than 1,500 people convicted of offenses related to the attack, The Guardian reported. “What Trump did on January 6, 2021, should never be forgotten,” Biden wrote. “It should follow him to his grave.”