Joe Biden Says Cancer Is Slowing Him Down Ahead of Memoir Release
Former President Joe Biden says his battle with cancer will keep him from promoting his upcoming presidential memoir as much as he had hoped.
In a post on X on Sunday, Nov. 8, Biden shared an update on his health just over a week before "Promise Me, America" hits shelves on Nov. 17. "Some days are better than others. It hasn't stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down," he wrote, according to CNN.
Fewer Book Events Than Planned
"I won't be able to do as many conversations about my book as I'd hoped," Biden said, adding that he hopes "the words on the page speak for themselves."
Biden did not say which events, if any, have been canceled. When the memoir was first announced in July, a spokesperson for publisher Little, Brown and Company said Biden planned to tour for the book and give interviews, The Associated Press reported.
The former president also shared a lesson from his late father. "Champ, when you get knocked down, get up," Biden recalled. "It's a good lesson for me. And for America."
His Cancer Battle
Biden was diagnosed in May 2025 with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. He said he learned of the diagnosis while he was writing the book.
He did not share details about his current treatment, but said, "My doctors continue to be encouraged by how I've responded to treatment." He also thanked supporters for their prayers and well wishes.
When he announced the memoir in July, Biden sounded upbeat about his health. "I'm dealing with a cancer diagnosis, been getting treatment, and it's going really well," he said in a video.
Earlier this year, former first lady Jill Biden opened up about a symptom Joe experienced before his diagnosis in her own memoir, "View from the East Wing," which was published in June.
What's in "Promise Me, America"
The memoir covers Biden's four years in the White House, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, domestic legislation and global diplomacy.
It also goes inside his 2024 reelection bid and his decision to step aside. "'Promise Me, America' is about the challenges we faced as a nation. It's about the decisions I made and why I made them," Biden said in his July video. "It's about why I chose to run for reelection and why I chose to step aside."
The title echoes Biden's 2017 memoir, "Promise Me, Dad," which centered on the death of his son Beau. The new book is his third, following "Promises to Keep" and "Promise Me, Dad," according to Hachette Book Group.
"Every president has a different story to tell," said Sally Kim, president and publisher of Little, Brown. She called it "the book we all need now." Little, Brown is a division of Hachette Book Group, and John Murray is publishing the memoir at the same time in the U.K. and Commonwealth countries.
A Closely Watched Release
Little, Brown declined to share financial details of the deal, though presidents have usually landed book deals worth at least seven figures. The book is being released two weeks after the midterm elections, and Biden turns 84 three days after it comes out.
Biden was the oldest person to serve as president, and questions about his health followed him throughout his term. Jill Biden wrote in her book that during the June 2024 debate, her husband seemed so weak and disoriented that she feared he was having a stroke.
After Biden withdrew from the 2024 race, then-Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee and lost to Donald Trump.
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