Biden makes first public appearance since cancer announcement

Former President Biden made his first public appearance since announcing last week that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, attending his grandson’s high school graduation in Connecticut. 

Mr. Biden, former first lady Jill Biden, and their daughter Ashley Biden, appeared alongside other family members on Friday to celebrate the high school graduation of Robert Hunter Biden II from the Salisbury School in Salisbury, Connecticut. Robert Hunter Biden II is the son of the late Beau Biden and Hallie Biden.

Photos posted Saturday on Instagram by Ashley and Mrs. Biden confirmed the former president’s attendance. One of the photos posted by Jill Biden included the caption, “Proud Nana and Pop! Congratulations Hunter – we are so proud of you.” 

Another photo posted by Ashley Biden appeared to show Mr. Biden at the airport, though it is unclear which airport he was photographed at.

Mr. Biden announced Sunday that he was diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. In a second statement released Tuesday, Mr. Biden’s office said that he had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer prior to last week and clarified that the former president had not been tested for prostate cancer in over a decade. 

The cancer diagnosis reignited debate among lawmakers and the media over Mr. Biden’s age and health, particularly as several books hit the market detailing his cognitive decline during his presidency. 

Mr. Biden and his family have repeatedly denied allegations that his cognitive and physical health was deteriorating while he was in office. 

Naomi Biden, the former president’s granddaughter, wrote on X this week that a book written by Jake Tapper and Alex Thomson detailing Mr. Biden’s decline was “a bunch of unoriginal, uninspired lies written by irresponsible self-promoting journalists out to make a quick buck.” 

She said the book “relies on unnamed, anonymous sources pushing a self-serving false narrative that absolves them of any responsibility for our current national nightmare.”

“All of this at the expense of a man so completely good and honest that it is impossible for these people to ever understand the why or how of it all. There are real stories to be told and one day they will be. I suspect history will reward the truth,” she continued.