Biden says he wouldn't have run in 2024 if he knew about his cancer

Former President Joe Biden said he would not have sought reelection in 2024 had his cancer been diagnosed earlier, telling People magazine that the disease, which he said has spread to his bones, would have prompted him to step aside. Biden also dismissed his June 2024 debate performance against Donald Trump as "not very consequential," despite it triggering weeks of pressure that ended his candidacy in July. The remarks offer Biden's most direct explanation yet of the forces behind his exit from the race, a decision that reshaped the 2024 campaign and elevated Kamala Harris to the Democratic nomination. His disclosure of bone involvement adds detail to the health picture he has shared publicly since leaving office. Watch for further comment from Biden's office on his treatment plan and for how the remarks land among Democrats still debating the timing of his withdrawal.