Former President Joe Biden faces mounting challenges in his post-presidency life, with reports indicating struggles across multiple fronts, including health battles, diminished security protections, and questions about his final days in office.
Biden’s health concerns became public on May 18, 2025, when he spent Friday at a Philadelphia hospital after a small nodule was discovered on his prostate. His office announced on May 21, 2025, that the 82-year-old former president has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has metastasized to his bones, characterized by a Gleason score of 9.
According to Gerald Denis, a research professor at Boston University’s Shipley Prostate Cancer Research Center, when prostate cancer has spread to the bone, it is generally considered advanced and incurable. Denis noted that survival after prostate cancer metastasis to bone is typically about 30 percent after five years, though individual cases can vary significantly from population statistics.
The cancer diagnosis has been described as hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management through treatments that reduce hormone levels and slow tumor growth. However, Denis indicated that the pathologists’ interpretation of Biden’s Gleason 9 score suggests the cancer appears to be highly aggressive, which he characterized as not encouraging news.
Security protections for Biden’s family have also been withdrawn under the Trump administration. President Donald Trump cancelled former Vice President Kamala Harris’ Secret Service detail in August 2025, seven months after she left office. Biden had reportedly extended her protection beyond the standard six-month period before leaving office. Trump also ended Secret Service protection for Biden’s adult children, Hunter and Ashley Biden, on March 17, 2025.
Questions have emerged about Biden’s final days in office, particularly regarding his use of automated signing devices. On Biden’s final day as president, January 19, 2025, he met with aides until nearly 10 p.m. to discuss preemptive pardons for various officials including former chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley.
According to emails obtained by the New York Times, Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients gave final approval for the use of an autopen to execute the pardons. At 10:31 p.m. on January 19, Zients wrote: “I approve the use of the autopen for the execution of all of the following pardons.”
The Trump administration has created a Presidential Walk of Fame beside the Rose Garden, where images of presidents line the walkway to the West Wing. Biden is represented by a picture of an autopen signing his name, hanging between Trump’s first and second-term photos. Trump reportedly told The Daily Caller in August 2025 that he planned to represent Biden with an autopen picture, claiming the former president should not have used the device.
Trump ordered an investigation into Biden’s autopen usage during the summer of 2025, suggesting Biden’s advisers may have used the device to sign executive actions without his knowledge. In a public memo to his counsel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, Trump claimed Biden suffered from serious cognitive decline and that his advisors restricted his public appearances to cover up his inability to discharge his duties.
Biden defended himself against these allegations in a July 2025 interview with The New York Times, emphasizing that autopen usage is legal and rejecting claims of incapacitation. He characterized his critics as liars and suggested they were trying to change focus from their own poor performance. The interview was described as one of Biden’s rare post-presidency sit-downs.
Former President Bill Clinton appeared on ABC’s The View on June 5, 2025, defending Biden’s mental acuity despite ongoing reports of decline. Clinton indicated that whenever he was around Biden, his mind was clear, his judgment was good, and he was on top of his briefings. However, Clinton questioned decisions made before Biden’s June 2024 CNN debate performance, particularly his overseas travel schedule given his age.
Despite these challenges, reports emerged in March 2025 suggesting Biden wants to return to political activity. NBC News reported that Biden and former first lady Jill Biden offered to support Democratic Party rebuilding efforts after meeting with Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin. This comes as the Democratic Party faces significant popularity challenges, with only 27 percent of registered voters viewing the party positively according to NBC polling.
Biden reportedly has only one spokesperson handling press inquiries for his post-presidency activities. The former president is expected to begin a multi-city tour to promote his book “107 Days,” focused on his short-lived presidential campaign, though the security arrangements for such appearances remain unclear given the withdrawal of his Secret Service protection detail.
