After an initial wave of solidarity with Joe Biden, who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, some Donald Trump supporters began attacking the former US president again this week, accusing him of hiding his health condition while he was still in the White House.
On Monday, Donald Jr., the MAGA leader’s eldest son, who at first wished his father’s historic rival a speedy recovery, wrote on his own social channels, “Everyone was in on the coverup! Who was running the country? We need accountability!”
Sunday’s revelation that Biden, 82, is suffering from an aggressive form of prostate cancer reignited old accusations by those who claimed the former president was too weak to lead the nation, and that a circle of loyalists abetted him in hiding the harsh reality from voters.
While he was still in Washington, D.C., the Democrat’s team always denied any rumors regarding a potential worsening of his health condition.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump said: “I think it’s very sad, actually. I’m surprised that … the public wasn’t notified a long time ago because to get to stage nine [Biden’s cancer has actually progressed to stage 4 out of a possible 5] that’s a long time.”
“Somebody is not telling the facts. … It’s a big problem”, he added.
“We really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job”, Vice President JD Vance said instead. Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin called the timing of Biden’s announcement “interesting, ‘ suggesting it was an attempt to distract the American people from a tough news cycle.
Ronny Jackson, Republican from Texas, a former White House physician and staunch Trump supporter, wrote on his X profile, “The truth is his physician was more concerned about assisting with the political coverup than providing world class medical care.”
Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat who ran against Biden in the 2024 primaries, also suggested that the former president avoided revealing his diagnosis for strategic reasons, in an effort to dampen the discussions about his ability to lead the country through a possible second term.
At the White House, Biden underwent regular medical checkups and was constantly monitored by the White House medical team. Given the care and attention he has received, the advanced state of the disease has left several experts stunned.
In any case, some doctors said that if the former Democratic leader had participated and won in the November election, the cancer would not have affected his cognitive faculties.
