Vice President JD Vance‘s reaction to former President Joe Biden‘s cancer diagnosis sparked mixed reactions on Monday.
Newsweek reached out to Vance through the White House via email on Monday.
Why It Matters
Biden’s health, both physical and mental, was discussed at length during the 2024 presidential election cycle and more recently after excerpts from a new book by CNN‘s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, were published by multiple media outlets.
The former president’s announcement has stirred conversation about transparency and whether his team had been aware of his health issues while in office.
What To Know
The former president said in a press release on Sunday that he had been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer the week prior that had metastasized to the bone.
Reacting to the news on Monday on Air Force 2, Vance said that he wished Biden “the best” and hopes he makes “the right recovery.”
Vance continued, “Whether the right time to have this conversation is now or at some point in the future, we really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job.”
“You can separate the desire for him to have the right health outcome, with the recognition that whether it was doctors or whether there was staffers around the former president—I don’t think he was able to do a good job for the American people,” Vance said.
“And that’s not politics. That’s not because I disagreed with him on policy. That’s because I don’t think that he was in good enough health.”
The vice president’s remarks sparked a wave of both praise and backlash on social media.
Former Republican Representative Barbara Comstock said on X, “Such a graceless, soulless ghoul @jdvance. Visits with Popes seem to have no impact. In case he hadn’t noticed, his job approval is the lowest of VPs at this point in modern history and well earned.”
California Democratic Representative Jimmy Gomez posted a meme on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday of an altered picture of Vance’s face on a child’s body with a confused expression.
Mollie Ziegler Hemingway, the editor-in-chief of conservative-leaning outlet The Federalist, responded to Vance’s comments: “One billion percent agree. The many people around Biden need to be called in by Congress to answer some very serious questions.”
Former Democratic Representative Carol Shea-Porter posted, “Let’s examine the current President for mental and physical conditions first. Start today.”
Democratic political strategist Chris Jackson wrote, “Jesus Christ. These people are just ghouls. Plain and simple.”
What People Are Saying
Former President Joe Biden, Monday on X: “Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
President Donald Trump, Sunday on Truth Social: “Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
What Happens Next
The former president and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians. Biden’s statement said that the cancer “appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.”
