Former US President Bill Clinton has publicly addressed concerns about Joe Biden’s health, dismissing claims that Biden, whilst serving as President, was unfit for office prior to his recent cancer diagnosis.
Biden’s office revealed on May 18 that the president has an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, prompting speculation about whether the White House concealed the severity of his condition during his presidency and brief 2024 re-election campaign.
However, Clinton told CBS Sunday Morning that he saw Biden “not very long ago” and thought he was “in good shape.”
He added, “I had never seen him and walked away thinking, he can’t do this anymore.”
Bill Clinton denies seeing Biden show any signs of cognitive decline
To be fair, he also denied the Monica Lewinsky scandalpic.twitter.com/7AwYfsDa8X
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) June 1, 2025
Clinton also refrained from reading Original Sin, a book by CNN journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, which includes accounts from insiders suggesting Biden was experiencing physical and cognitive decline that was hidden from the public.
“I didn’t want to because he’s not president anymore, and I think he did a good job,” Clinton said.
Clinton showed support for the former President, saying “I think we are facing challenges today with our president in our history. And some people are trying to use this as a way to blame him for the fact that Trump was reelected.”
There were multiple instances during former President Joe Biden’s tenure which led to much speculation regarding his cognitive abilities. Some instances also drew widespread ridicule, prompting Biden’s early-exit from the 2024 Presidential electoral campaign.
The former president’s comments come amid ongoing debate about transparency in the White House and Biden’s ability to govern while managing serious health issues.