Just hours after news broke that former President Joe Biden had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, Donald Trump issued a public response that immediately sparked a firestorm—drawing both support and backlash for what many are calling a “pointed and politically calculated” statement.
Biden’s diagnosis, confirmed in a late-Sunday statement from his office and first reported by The New York Times, described the illness as “fast-proliferating and serious.” Though the specific type of cancer has not been disclosed, sources told CNN that Biden is already undergoing aggressive outpatient treatment at Johns Hopkins.
While an outpouring of support flooded social media from political leaders and celebrities across the spectrum, Trump’s reaction stood out sharply in tone.
In a statement posted to Truth Social, the former president wrote: “I wish Joe Biden the best with his health. Cancer is terrible. But let’s not forget—America has been battling his failed leadership longer than this disease.”
The remark—which started as a seemingly empathetic gesture—took a sharp turn, and quickly set off a digital firestorm. MSNBC anchor Mehdi Hasan reposted the statement on X with the caption, “Is this a get-well or a campaign jab in disguise?” That post alone generated over 4 million views within six hours.
The backlash didn’t stop there. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded with a blunt post: “This man can’t even pretend to be human. Just say you hope he recovers and move on.” Her comment, shared via X, instantly trended nationwide.
However, Trump allies praised the statement for “striking a balance between decency and truth.” Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz told Fox News, “President Trump expressed concern but didn’t pretend Joe Biden didn’t wreck the country. That’s honesty.”
Trump doubled down later in the evening with a follow-up post, saying: “I know what it’s like to be in the arena. I hope Biden pulls through. I also hope America recovers from what he’s done to it.”
Critics argued that Trump’s tone echoed his infamous 2015 comments on Senator John McCain’s brain cancer, when he said, “I like people who weren’t captured.” At the time, Trump refused to apologize even as McCain underwent treatment. That video has since resurfaced and was reposted on Instagram by veteran advocacy pages urging followers to “watch who pretends to care.”
Meanwhile, Biden’s supporters rallied online with a wave of tributes and throwbacks. A video of Biden comforting a cancer patient at a 2019 Iowa rally, originally shared by @RachelBitecofer, has gone viral once again—garnering over 6 million views in less than 10 hours.
White House sources told Axios that President Kamala Harris has spoken to the former president multiple times since the diagnosis. “She’s devastated,” one senior aide said. “This wasn’t supposed to be part of the chapter post-resignation.”
Harris addressed the nation briefly Monday morning from the White House lawn, saying, “Joe Biden is a warrior. He will face this illness the same way he has faced everything else in his life: with courage, clarity, and compassion.” Her statement was streamed live by C-SPAN and re-aired throughout the day.
Trump’s reaction continued to draw attention as more Republican figures offered markedly different tones. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley posted, “Cancer doesn’t care about party lines. I’m praying for Joe and Jill tonight.” Her post on X was praised across party lines for its dignity.
Even Fox host Bret Baier seemed to distance himself from Trump’s phrasing, telling viewers on Special Report, “There’s a difference between candor and cruelty. Americans notice.”
Meanwhile, Biden himself has not publicly responded to Trump’s message, but a source close to the former president told Politico, “He’s focusing on treatment. Politics can wait.”
Doctors at Johns Hopkins have said the cancer is “treatable but aggressive,” with treatments involving advanced chemotherapy and immunotherapy already underway. Biden’s family has been seen entering and leaving the facility, and a now-viral photo shared by Getty Images shows Dr. Jill Biden tightly holding her husband’s hand outside the medical wing.
Despite the harsh online discourse, many Americans are rallying behind Biden. A GoFundMe created by fans “for cancer research in Biden’s honor” has raised over $180,000 in 24 hours, according to HuffPost.
As both parties prepare for what could be the most unpredictable election cycle in modern history, the intersection of personal health and political power is once again in sharp focus.
Whether Trump’s words were empathy or opportunism may depend on where one stands politically. But what’s clear is that this moment—intimate, painful, and public—is already defining the tone for what lies ahead in 2025.
