Biden Reflects on Family and Accuses Trump of Harmful Policies

Former President Joe Biden, sporting a fresh bandage on his head, spoke to Nebraska Democrats on Friday, suggesting that his late son should have been the one elected as president in 2020 while criticizing President Trump.

Biden claimed that Trump was responsible for “cutting government funding for cancer research.” He noted that his own administration prioritized this research, especially after his son Beau passed away from brain cancer in 2015. “Folks, I know what cancer research means,” he shared at the Ben Nelson Gala, pointing out the widespread impact of cancer across families.

Reflecting with a quiet tone, Biden shared, “My beloved son, the attorney general of Delaware—who should have been president, not me—volunteered to go to Iraq for a year. He didn’t have to, and he came back with stage 4 glioblastoma because he was living in the ruins, just like everyone else on 9/11, and he died.”

Earlier this year, Biden received his diagnosis of stage 4 prostate cancer, and he spoke about his own journey with the illness. “But once the research is done, and the diagnosis made, they figure it out. I just had prostate cancer. And I, uh, ring a bell at the end of each treatment,” he explained. “Thank God for doctors and nurses and the incredible advances in cancer research.”

He criticized Trump and his Republican allies for making healthcare more expensive by reducing government funding. At 83, Biden appeared at the event with a new bandage, though the reason behind it remains unclear. Back in August, he had Mohs surgery for skin cancer, which had left him with a noticeable bandage on his head.

“Why in the name of God would they do this?” he questioned, continuing to denounce Trump’s budget cuts, which he attributed to tax cuts benefiting “the wealthiest people in America.”

Biden expressed particular anger over the prolonged government shutdown, stating, “Trump better keep the damn government open.” He lamented the worsening hunger crisis in the U.S., highlighting that, “one in five children goes to bed hungry every night.”

When the crowd reacted with boos, Biden remarked, “No, no, that’s more than ‘boo’… it’s a disgrace!” He noted that Republicans have accused Senate Democrats of failing to support funding for government agencies during the shutdown.

Lastly, Biden celebrated the Democratic Party’s successes in recent state elections, confidently proclaiming, “Without exaggeration, the Democratic Party is back.” He pointed to wins across several states as proof that voters were messaging “to Mr. Trump and his crowd.”