Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a prominent oncologist and former COVID-19 advisor to former President Joe Biden, stated Monday that the former president likely had prostate cancer at the start of his presidency—if not earlier—raising questions about transparency surrounding Biden’s health while in office, Fox News reports.
Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Emanuel responded to the announcement from Biden’s office that the former president has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer. The cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5), has reportedly metastasized to the bone.
“This is not something that developed in the last 100 to 200 days,” Emanuel told host Joe Scarborough. “He had it while he was president. He probably had it at the start of his presidency in 2021. I don’t think there’s any disagreement about that.”
Scarborough sought clarification, asking if such a diagnosis definitively indicates the cancer predates the end of Biden’s presidency. Emanuel affirmed, “Oh yeah.”
The discussion quickly turned to the issue of presidential medical transparency. Emanuel said that while some older men may choose to forgo routine prostate screenings, such decisions become far more consequential when they involve the President of the United States.
“President Obama had this test. President Bush had this test. It is a little surprising that [Biden’s] doctor didn’t take it. And if he took it and didn’t report it… that would be very troubling,” Emanuel said.
He added that if test results were either withheld or not performed properly, it would reflect a pattern of opaque medical disclosures reminiscent of concerns raised during Donald Trump’s presidency.
“We’ve had several of these [incidents] with President Trump, especially around his COVID diagnosis,” Emanuel noted. “If that is true here, that would be very troubling.”
Emanuel emphasized that while it’s possible a prostate cancer test could miss an advanced case, it’s unlikely.
“Either they didn’t test for it, or they tested for it and didn’t report it. And we didn’t get the information as a public,” he said.
Biden’s office confirmed the diagnosis in a statement released Sunday, noting that the cancer had already spread to his bones by the time of detection.
