Joe Biden Says Cancer Has Slowed Him Down as He Scales Back Memoir Promotion

“Some Days Are Better Than Others,” Biden Says in Cancer Update

Former President Joe Biden says his doctors remain encouraged by his response to prostate cancer treatment, even as the illness affects what he can do from day to day. In a Sunday post on X, the 83-year-old said he would take part in fewer conversations about his presidential memoir, Promise Me, America, than he had hoped. The book is scheduled for release on November 17.

“Some days are better than others,” Biden Says

Biden said he learned he had cancer while writing the memoir. As he prepared for its release, he shared an update on his treatment and described how the illness sometimes limits his plans. He also thanked the people who had offered prayers and kind words, saying that their support had meant a great deal to him, his wife Jill, and their family.

“Some days are better than others,” he wrote. “It hasn’t stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down.

“What that means is, unfortunately, I won’t be able to do as many conversations about my book as I’d hoped. However, I’m hopeful the words on the page speak for themselves.”

The change Biden described concerns how often he’ll be able to speak about the memoir once it comes out. He had hoped to have more conversations about the book and the decisions it revisits. The November 17 release date remains in place.

What Biden Covers in Promise Me, America

The memoir looks back at Biden’s four years in the White House, from 2021 to 2025. He has described it as an account of the challenges his administration faced, the choices he made as president, and the reasons behind those choices. He also said the book reflects his faith in the American people.

Writing the memoir meant looking back on those four years while dealing with a new set of circumstances in his own life. Biden was already working on the book when he received the diagnosis. By the time he was preparing to share it with readers, he was also deciding how much time and energy he could commit to discussing it publicly.

Biden closed his post with a piece of advice he remembered hearing from his father. “Champ, when you get knocked down, get up.” He said he still found that lesson relevant to his own life and to the country. It was a personal note at the end of a post that also looked ahead to a book about his years in office.

Biden Announced His Prostate Cancer Diagnosis in May 2025

Biden’s office announced the diagnosis in May 2025, a few months after he left the White House. Doctors had found a nodule on his prostate after he experienced worsening urinary symptoms. His office said the cancer was aggressive and had spread to his bones.

At the time, the office also said the cancer appeared to be hormone-sensitive. The statement described that finding as giving his doctors a way to manage the disease. In October 2025, Biden completed a course of radiation treatment.

In his latest post, Biden relayed that his doctors continued to be encouraged by how he had responded to treatment. He also gave a more personal account of how he was feeling. His description of better and harder days explained why he had adjusted the plans he originally made for the book launch.

Hunter Biden Described How Painful the Illness Has Been

Biden’s son Hunter spoke about his father’s condition in August. In a BBC interview, he said the cancer had spread “into his bones and further,” and described the pain his father was experiencing. Hunter said it was sad to watch and that he wished his father would complain more.

Hunter spoke as a son watching his father deal with pain. Biden’s own post focused on what that experience meant for commitments he had been looking forward to. The two accounts offered different views of daily life with the illness, one from within the family and the other from Biden himself as he prepared for the memoir’s release.

Biden used the same post to acknowledge the messages his family had received. He included Jill and the rest of the family in his thanks, describing how much the public’s prayers and kind words had meant to them since the diagnosis.

The Memoir Arrives Three Days Before Biden’s 84th Birthday

Promise Me, America is scheduled to come out on November 17. On November 20, Biden will turn 84. He is the oldest living former U.S. president, and the two dates arrive in the same week as he prepares to put his account of his presidency before readers.

Cancer has affected the Biden family before. His son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015 at the age of 46. That loss is part of the family’s history as Biden and his relatives deal with his own diagnosis and the changes it has brought to his day-to-day life.

For the memoir’s release, Biden has set a more limited schedule than he had hoped for. He wanted more opportunities to talk about the challenges his administration faced and explain why he made certain decisions. With fewer of those conversations ahead, he said he hoped readers would find those explanations in the book itself.