Joe Biden undergoes skin cancer surgery
5th September 2025
WILMINGTON, DE - SEPTEMBER 24: Democratic candidate for president, former Vice President Joe Biden makes remarks about the DNI Whistleblower Report as well as President Trumps ongoing abuse of power at the Hotel DuPont on September 24, 2019 in Wilmington, Delaware. (Photo by William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)
Former U.S. President Joe Biden recently underwent surgery to remove cancerous cells from his skin and is recovering well, NBC News has reported, citing a spokesperson.
The procedure, known as Mohs surgery, is a standard treatment for common forms of skin cancer. The operation comes just months after Biden, 82, disclosed in May that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, described by his medical team as aggressive but hormone-sensitive — meaning it is likely to respond to treatment.
Biden has previously dealt with similar health issues. In 2023, while still in office, he had a skin lesion removed during a routine physical, later identified as basal cell carcinoma.
The former president’s health has long been a subject of public scrutiny. Questions over his fitness for office intensified after a faltering debate performance against Donald Trump in mid-2024, which ultimately led Biden to withdraw from his re-election bid just weeks later.
Biden was the oldest person ever elected U.S. president at the time of his 2020 victory, a record later surpassed in 2024 when Trump, now 79, returned to the White House.
Since leaving office, Biden has largely kept a low profile, making only a handful of public appearances. In April, he delivered a speech defending the Social Security Administration against proposed cuts from the Trump administration.