Former President Joe Biden said Sunday that his cancer treatment may limit how many events he can attend to promote his upcoming memoir. Some days, he said, are harder than others.
Promise Me, America is due out Nov. 17. The book looks back on Biden’s four years in the White House, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, major domestic policies and his work with foreign leaders. It also recounts his decision to seek re-election and, later, to withdraw from the 2024 race.
In a post on X, Biden said the memoir describes the challenges his administration faced, the choices he made and his thinking behind them. He said it also reflects on America’s place in the world and his belief in the country’s democratic ideals.
Biden was diagnosed in May 2025 with an aggressive prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. He said his doctors remain encouraged by his response to treatment, and thanked people for their prayers and messages of support.
The illness, he said, has not stopped him, though it can slow him down. As a result, he may not be able to take part in as many book discussions as he had planned, but hopes readers will find the memoir speaks for itself.
Biden also recalled a lesson from his father: when you’re knocked down, get back up. He said it remains a useful reminder for him—and for the country.
He described the United States as a nation founded on an idea: that all people are created equal.
