PHOTO: DOUG MILLS/NYTIMES
Ex-US president Biden limits his memoir promotion with hint at health struggles
· The Straits Times- Joe Biden will limit appearances for his memoir, 'Promise Me, America', because health issues are slowing him down during treatment for prostate cancer.
- He said, 'Some days are better than others,' and hopes 'the words on the page speak for themselves' as doctors remain 'encouraged' by his progress.
- The memoir comes after a low-profile post-presidency and fresh criticism over his mental decline and his role in Donald Trump’s 2024 win.
WASHINGTON – Former US president Joe Biden signalled that he will limit public appearances to promote his memoir coming out in November, citing health issues as he continues treatment for prostate cancer.
“Some days are better than others. It hasn’t stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down,” the 83-year-old Democrat said in a social media post about the book, titled Promise Me, America, that will cover the years of his presidency.
“What that means is, unfortunately, I won’t be able to do as many conversations about my book as I’d hoped.”
Biden’s office in May 2025 disclosed the diagnosis of an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.
He has gone through radiation treatments since.
Biden said on Nov 8 that doctors “continue to be encouraged” by how he has been responding to treatment.
“I’m hopeful the words on the page speak for themselves,” he said.
Biden has kept a low profile since leaving office in January 2025.
His post-presidential life has been dogged by revelations in a 2025 book about his declining mental faculties during his presidency and aides’ efforts to gloss them over.
Some Democrats blamed him for Donald Trump’s re-election in 2024, arguing that Biden stepped aside too late for then Vice-President Kamala Harris to mount a winning campaign. BLOOMBERG