Former President Joe Biden will reduce his public schedule for the rollout of his forthcoming memoir as he undergoes continued care for cancer, he announced Sunday on social media.
Biden, 83, posted on X that while his physicians remain encouraged by his reaction to therapy, the physical burden has altered his plans ahead of the release of “Promise Me, America” on Nov. 17. He wrote that “some days are better than others” during his recovery, noting that while the illness has not brought him to a halt, “sometimes it slows me down,” NBC News reported.
Because of his health, Biden said he will be unable to conduct as many promotional discussions as initially intended, adding that he hopes “the words on the page speak for themselves,” according to Radar Online.
Reflections on the presidency
The upcoming volume focuses heavily on his four years leading the nation, examining the critical decisions of his administration and his broader outlook on the country’s democratic institutions. Biden described the project as an accounting of his choices in office and an expression of faith in the American people, NBC News reported.
Publisher Hachette Book Group noted that the memoir also recounts the painful deliberations surrounding his departure from the 2024 presidential race. Facing pressure from fellow Democrats regarding his age, Biden ended his reelection effort in the summer of 2024 and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, putting party and country ahead of personal ambitions, according to the publisher.
Biden, who was the oldest individual to serve as U.S. president, frequently faced public scrutiny over his stamina and health throughout his term in the White House, NBC News reported.
A battle with stage 4 disease
Biden disclosed his diagnosis of aggressive stage 4 prostate cancer in May 2025, several months after finishing his presidential term in January 2025. In an October message marking Prostate Awareness Month, Biden urged men to seek early medical evaluations, revealing that the cancer had reached his bones before it was discovered, Radar Online reported.
Medical teams have treated the former president with radiation therapy and hormone regimens, and he also underwent a surgical procedure to extract cancerous skin cells, according to reports from NBC News and Radar Online.
Members of his family have previously discussed the daily strain of his condition. In an August interview with the BBC, his son Hunter Biden, 56, said the metastasis into his father’s skeletal system has been painful and debilitating, though he noted that the former commander-in-chief remains determined to speak out on matters of national significance. Former First Lady Jill Biden, 75, similarly told NBC News earlier this year that her husband would live with the disease for the rest of his life.
Biden said Sunday that he remains grateful for the public’s prayers and well wishes, affirming that he will continue to fight the illness while preparing for the nationwide debut of his book next week.
