It was a hot July day in 2022 when the internet basically lost its mind over a single sentence. Joe Biden was standing at a podium in Somerset, Massachusetts, talking about climate change and the old Brayton Point power plant. Then, he said it. "That’s why I and so damn many other people I grew up with have cancer."
The reaction was instant. Twitter (now X) exploded. News desks scrambled. Did the President of the United States just announce a major health diagnosis in the middle of a speech about windmills and oil refineries?
Well, yes and no. Mostly no. But like anything involving politics and health, the truth is a bit more layered than a simple "yes" or "no."
The day the "cancer" clip went viral
On July 20, 2022, Biden was giving a pretty standard speech about the environment. He was reminiscing about growing up in Claymont, Delaware. He described how his mother had to drive him to school because of the heavy traffic and the "oil slick" that would get on the windshields from nearby refineries.
It was a story about pollution. But his use of the present tense—saying he has cancer—made it sound like he was currently battling the disease.
The White House press team didn't even wait for the speech to end before they started the cleanup. Andrew Bates, who was the deputy press secretary at the time, quickly pointed out that Biden was talking about past skin cancer treatments. Specifically, the non-melanoma skin cancers he had removed before he ever moved into the Oval Office.
What the medical records actually showed
If you look back at the health summary released by Dr. Kevin O’Connor in November 2021, the details are right there. Before his presidency, Biden had several localized, non-melanoma skin cancers removed using Mohs surgery.
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These weren't secrets. They were documented.
Dr. O’Connor noted that these lesions were "completely excised, with clear margins." Essentially, he’d had the surgeries, the cancer was gone, and he was just undergoing regular checkups with a dermatologist to make sure nothing new popped up.
Why did Biden say he "has" cancer in 2022?
Honestly, it seems like it was just a verbal slip or a broad way of speaking about a shared experience. Biden often uses "we" or "I and the people I grew up with" to create a connection with his audience. In his mind, he was likely grouping himself with the many people from his hometown who suffered from health issues they attributed to industrial pollution.
But for the rest of the world, hearing a sitting president use the present tense for a cancer diagnosis is a big deal.
The context matters. Delaware has historically had high cancer rates, and Biden has always been vocal about it. It’s a huge part of why he launched the "Cancer Moonshot" initiative. For him, the fight against cancer isn't just policy—it's personal.
The 2025 diagnosis and the "cover-up" theories
Fast forward to May 2025. When the news broke that former President Biden had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, that 2022 video came roaring back to life.
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Suddenly, the "slip-up" in Massachusetts didn't look like a slip-up to some people. Skeptics and political opponents began sharing the old clip as "proof" that he knew about the cancer years ago and that the White House had been hiding it.
Is that actually what happened?
Probably not. Most medical experts, including oncologists like those at Moffitt Cancer Center, point out that prostate cancer—especially the aggressive kind—can develop and spread quite rapidly in older men. The 2025 diagnosis involved a Gleason score of 9, which is a very serious, fast-moving version of the disease.
It’s highly unlikely that a patient would have a Gleason 9 tumor in 2022 and not show significant symptoms or metastatic progression for three years without treatment.
Non-melanoma vs. Aggressive Prostate Cancer
It’s easy to get these things mixed up if you aren’t a doctor. Let’s break down the two different issues Biden has faced:
- Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: This is what he was referring to in 2022. These are common, usually caused by sun exposure (which his doctor mentioned Biden had plenty of in his youth), and are rarely life-threatening if treated early.
- Aggressive Prostate Cancer: This was the 2025 diagnosis. This is a much more serious condition that affects internal organs and, in his case, eventually spread to the bone.
The confusion stems from the fact that "cancer" is a broad umbrella term. Having a basal cell carcinoma removed from your forehead is a very different medical reality than dealing with a high-grade prostate malignancy.
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What we can learn from the "Biden has cancer" saga
Politics aside, this whole situation highlights a few things about how we consume news today.
First, a 10-second clip rarely tells the whole story. If you watch the full 2022 speech, it’s clear he’s talking about his childhood and the environment, not dropping a medical bombshell.
Second, the health of a president is always under a microscope. Whether it's Biden, Trump, or whoever comes next, every cough or verbal stumble is analyzed for deeper meaning. Sometimes there is a deeper meaning; other times, it's just a guy from Delaware talking too fast.
Actions you can take today
If you're worried about cancer or just want to be better informed about these specific health topics, here are a few practical steps:
- Check the source: When a "bombshell" clip goes viral, look for the full transcript. The White House archives every speech, and the context often changes everything.
- Get your skin checked: Biden’s skin cancers were caught because he had regular dermatological exams. If you spent your youth in the sun, an annual skin check is a literal life-saver.
- Understand PSA testing: For men over 50 (or younger if you have a family history), talk to your doctor about prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests. While some organizations don't recommend routine screening for men over 70, it’s a conversation worth having with a professional who knows your history.
- Look at the margins: If you ever have a lesion removed, ask your doctor if they achieved "clear margins." This means they removed all the cancerous cells and a thin layer of healthy tissue around it to ensure nothing was left behind.
The 2022 "announcement" was a classic case of a verbal gaffe meeting a high-stakes environment. While Joe Biden did say those words, all the evidence from his medical team and the timeline of his later health issues suggest he was talking about the past, not revealing a secret present-day battle.
Next Steps for You
To better understand the nuances of the President's health history, you might want to review the official 2021 and 2023 White House medical summaries. These documents provide the most granular detail on the Mohs surgeries and the "actinic changes" his doctors were monitoring long before the 2025 diagnosis. Additionally, researching the "Cancer Moonshot" initiative can provide context on why Biden speaks so frequently and passionately about the disease, often using personal anecdotes to drive home the need for better environmental regulations.