While the world reacted to shocking news of former President Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis on Sunday, Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Donald Trump, took to social media to suggest those in Biden’s circle knew about his condition while in office.
After initially joining countless others in wishing Biden, 82, a speedy recovery following the news of the former president’s “aggressive” prostate cancer diagnosis, Trump Jr., a few hours later, quickly changed his tune.
Trump Jr. re-shared a post from Dr. Steven Quay, CEO and president of Atossa Therapeutics, who noted that prostate cancer is the “easiest cancer to diagnose.” The fact that Biden’s cancer has already metastasized to his bones suggests that he carried the diagnosis of prostate cancer while he served as president between January 2021 and January 2025.
“For even with the most aggressive form, it is a 5-7 year journey without treatment before it becomes metastatic. Meaning it would be malpractice for this patient to show up and be first diagnosed with metastatic disease in May 2025,” wrote Quay, who holds a medical degree and served his residency at Harvard Medical School working in anatomic pathology, according to his LinkedIn page.
In the post, Trump Jr. added his two cents: “What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup???”
It’s not clear what Trump Jr. meant by his statement about former first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, though it appeared that he was implying she should have caught her husband’s diagnosis as a doctor. However, Biden is not a medical doctor. According to the White House Historical Association, the college professor and years-long educator holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in educational leadership from the University of Delaware.
Many vocal public figures were quick to denounce Trump Jr.’s post, including former MSNBC anchor Joy Reid.
“There’s no such thing as stage five cancer, and Dr. Biden holds a doctorate in education– she’s not a medical doctor,” Reid posted on Instagram. “Donald Trump Jr has literally no values and no value. That post is vile and also stupid.”
Trump Jr. aside, President Biden’s cancer diagnosis has swiftly raised questions about his health while in the White House, and what he, his family, and staff knew or didn’t know at the time. It also comes on the heels of published books exploring the geriatric leader’s mental acuity and fitness as president–a concern that ultimately led to a successful Democratic Party push to get Joe Biden to suspend his 2024 election campaign.
“He’s had this for many years, maybe even a decade, growing there and spreading…It’s a little surprising,” asserted Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Monday. Emanuel, the brother of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, is an oncologist who was appointed by President Biden as a medical expert for his COVID-19 Advisory Board.
Dr. Emanuel said he checked the medical records of Biden and previous presidents and found that Biden never had a “prostate-specific antigen.”
“Now, it is true that a lot of people recommend not doing a prostate-specific antigen after 70, but President Biden’s been in public life a very long time. He was vice president and had a lot of exams under 70. So it’s a little surprising that they didn’t do it,” he explained. “And maybe President Biden decided he didn’t want the test. Many men do decide they don’t want the PSA, but this is also aggressive.”
Dr. Emanuel noted that former President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush were tested for prostate cancer and said it was “a little surprising” that a doctor had not tested Biden before his recent diagnosis.
He added, “And if he took it and didn’t report it and it was elevated, that is another case of doctors not being straightforward with us. We’ve had several of them with President Trump, especially around his COVID diagnosis. And if that is true, that would be very troubling.”
