A leading oncologist specialist says Joe Biden likely had cancer when he began his presidency in 2021.
Dr Zeke Emanuel told Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough so on Monday, saying ‘[Biden] did not develop [prostate cancer] in the last, 100, 200 days.
‘He had it while he was President,’ he insisted. ‘He probably had it at the start of his presidency, in 2021.
‘I don’t think there’s any disagreement about that,’ Zeke concluded – paving the way for some pushback from his progressive host.
Zeke, just a few years ago, was named to a prestigious 16-person COVID advisory board that had been handpicked by Biden himself.
He questioned how such and advanced form of the disease – prostate cancer – had slipped under the radar until now and had spread to the former president’s bones.
The 82-year-old Democrat‘s doctors said the scrutiny they said yielded the diagnosis began a week ago with the discovery of a ‘nodule’ on Biden’s prostate.
Officials also touted the severity of the diagnosis – something Emanuel signaled was a sign Biden’s condition has been swept under the rug since he was sworn in.
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America’s top oncologist Dr Zeke Emanuel (right) told Morning Joe star Joe Scarborough that the former president may well have had prostate cancer throughout his time in office
Officials on Sunday described the severity of the diagnosis – something Emanuel signaled was a sign his condition has been swept under the rug for years
‘He’s had this for many years, maybe even a decade, growing there and spreading,’ Emanuel explained.
‘That’s right. It’s a little surprising,’ he said, as Scarborough showed visible skepticism.
‘I looked back at the records and there’s no evidence that when he got his health status and the medical records were released, that he had a prostate specific antigen,’ he continued – quickly adding, ‘Now, it is true that a lot of people recommend not doing a prostate-specific antigen after 70.
‘But President Biden’s been in public life a very long time,’ Emanuel argued, as theories continue to swirl regarding the timing of the Democrats’ diagnosis.
‘He was vice president and had a lot of exams under 70,’ Emanuel reiterated. ‘So it’s a little surprising that they didn’t do it.
‘And maybe President Biden decided he didn’t want the test,’ he conceded. ‘Many men do decide they don’t want [it], but this is also aggressive.’
At this point, the top doc honed in on how Biden’s doctor’s provided what is known as a Gleason score to give the public a general idea of the disease’s advanced progress.
‘That score is from two up to ten. And he’s a nine,’ Emanuel told Scarborough.
‘That’s right. It’s a little surprising,’ the doctor said, as Scarborough showed visible skepticism. ‘It is a little surprising to many of us oncologists that he wasn’t diagnosed earlier’
‘And that means that the cancer doesn’t look normal, it looks very abnormal – which is probably why it’s in the bone.
‘And as you point out, Joe, it’s been around for a very long time in President Biden – years,’ Emanuel perhaps more curtly explained.
‘Exactly how many?’ an incredulous but not dismissive Scarborough asked.
‘We don’t know, obviously,’ Emanuel replied.
‘And it is a little surprising to many of us oncologists that he wasn’t diagnosed earlier.’
The former medical expert for Biden’s COVID Advisory Board reiterated how the decision to get the test rested entirely on the then-president.
‘And if he took it and didn’t report it and it was elevated, that is another case of doctors not being straightforward with us,’ Emanuel brought up.
‘We’ve had several of them with President Trump, especially around his COVID diagnosis.
Joe Biden’s personal office released a statement on Sunday revealing that the former president was diagnosed with an ‘aggressive form’ of prostate cancer on Friday, May 16, 2025
‘And if that is true, that would be very troubling,’ the doctor concluded – before putting to bed one last bit of pushback from Scarborough.
‘So, this is not speculation? If you have prostate cancer that has spread to the bone, then you are saying, most certainly, he had it when he was president of the United States?’ the host asked.
“Oh yeah,’ Emanuel replied, before asserting Biden has had the condition for the better part of a half-decade.
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