Jill Biden shares why Joe’s cancer went undetected despite annual checkups: ‘They didn’t do the PSA’

WASHINGTON, DC: Jill Biden shared that doctors missed former President Joe Biden's stage 4 prostate cancer because they followed standard age rules and did not perform a PSA blood test. She explained that his doctors stopped routine screenings because guidelines suggest skipping them for men over 70.

The former first lady noted that while the cancer has spread to his bones, Joe Biden is staying active, traveling to Washington, DC, and speaking at public events.

Jill Biden details medical oversight in Joe's stage 4 cancer discovery

Jill Biden, during her appearance on Tuesday, June 2, on 'The View', explained how the cancer went unnoticed despite the family having top-tier medical care.

She stated, “First of all, we had an amazing medical team. I mean, I had my medical team, he had his, and we did get annual physicals, and but they followed the guidelines of the American Urology Association, which says that men don’t get prostate screening after the age of 70, so unfortunately they didn’t do the PSA, and had they done that…” 

She then used the moment to urge other men to take their health seriously. “So all you men, because I’m telling you, you need to pay attention to your health. Women, I think, are really good at it, but men, if you’re having a problem, don’t just say, 'Oh, I’ll get to this later.' Do something."

Jill Biden shares update on Joe Biden’s fight with cancer

When asked how the former president is dealing with the illness today, Jill Biden shared a personal look at their daily reality.

“He’s doing OK,” she said when Ana Navarro asked about his condition.

“As probably everyone in this audience knows — because I’m sure you’ve all been touched by cancer — it’s hard, it’s hard. It’s stage 4, it’s in his bones, but he’s keeping up his schedule, he’s going to DC on Amtrak a couple of times a month, he’s speaking at Democratic rallies, he’s writing, so he’s active, he’s Joe.”

Jill Biden details behind-the-scenes panic following 2024 debate

Jill Biden also looked back at the June 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump, explaining that she was terrified because no doctors had warned her of any health issues beforehand.

"No one ever came to me and said, ‘Jill, Joe’s aging,’ or, ‘Something’s wrong.’ So, when I saw that, I mean, no doctors came to me and said that, and Joe, like I said, has a whole team of doctors around, and so when I saw that, when all Americans saw that moment on TV at the debate, I mean, I was out of my mind, because I thought, ‘Oh my god, he’s having a stroke.’"

She then described the immediate, candid conversation she shared with the former president right after they stepped off the stage together.

"...and then I got off the stage. I went back, they brought me back on, we hug, we kiss, we’re walking off, and I see he’s OK, but we’re walking off, and he says to me, and I’m not going to say it on morning television… ‘I really messed up, didn’t I?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, Joe, you did,’ and we walked off."

She added that their medical team quickly checked on him and cleared him to continue with the rest of his scheduled events for the night.

"I went to get my stuff. The docs were right there. They’re like, ‘He’s fine, he’s fine.’ We had three events after that, three that night where he got up on stage and made speeches, whatever. And to this day, I still cannot say what happened in that moment.”

Jill admits Joe wouldn’t have been fit for a second term

When asked if she still thinks he could have handled another four years in office, she admitted that the unexpected cancer diagnosis completely changed their plans for the future.

“Well, not from what I know now. I mean, my God, who knew? I mean, it was so shocking to get that cancer diagnosis. I mean, here I was, I’m looking through travel magazines, like, ‘Oh, where are we going to go? What are we going to do?’ And then we get this cancer diagnosis, and I think, ‘What am I doing? Our whole life is changed now.’ And so, I mean, it was just shocking.”