Joe Biden will do limited promotion of his upcoming memoir, Promise Me, America, due to his prostate cancer diagnosis. In a statement on social media, the former president shared that his battle with the disease has slowed him down.
“Some days are better than others,” Biden wrote. “It hasn’t stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down. What that means is, unfortunately, I won’t be able to do as many conversations about my book as I’d hoped. However, I’m hopeful the words on the page speak for themselves.”
The book, out Nov. 17, details Biden’s time in office. He wrote that it “covers my years as President,” adding that the book describes “the challenges we faced, the decisions I made, and why I made them.”
“It’s about who we are as a nation,” Biden wrote. “What we stand for. And America’s role in the world. More than anything, it’s about my faith in the American people and the great American experiment in self-governance and democracy.”
He added, “While writing the book, I was diagnosed with cancer, a disease known all too well to millions of Americans and their families. My doctors continue to be encouraged by how I’ve responded to treatment. And the prayers and kind words and well wishes from so many of you have meant more to me and Jill and our family than you can ever know.”
Biden concluded, “Looking forward, I’m going to keep following what my father told me a long time ago: ‘Champ, when you get knocked down, get up.’ It’s a good lesson for me. And for America. We are blessed. America is the most unique nation on earth. Unlike other countries, we’re built on an idea. An idea bigger than any ocean. More powerful than any army. Stronger than any tyrant or dictator. That idea? All of us are created equal.”
Earlier this year, Biden revealed that the book is about his faith in America. “It’s about the challenges we faced as a nation,” he said in a video. “[It’s] about the decisions I made, and why I made them. Leading the country though Covid, rebuilding our economy, and restoring our democracy after the attack on Jan. 6, ending our nation’s longest war in Afghanistan, strengthening NATO, and supporting Ukraine. It’s about why I chose to run for re-election and why I chose to step aside. Most of all, it’s about my faith in the promise of America.”
Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer last May. In a statement in October 2025, Biden’s spokeswoman Kelly Scully said, “As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment.”
The Biden family has dealt with multiple cancer battles. The president’s son Beau died of a brain tumor at 46, and First Lady Jill Biden had two cancerous skin lesions removed in 2023.
