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Former President Biden Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer. Aired 5- 6p ET

Aired May 18, 2025 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[17:00:00]

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JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: You're in the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Jessica Dean in New York. Welcome to our viewers in The United States and around the world. And we begin tonight with breaking news as former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with what they're calling an aggressive form of prostate cancer, which has spread to his bones. This is according to his personal office. They just announced this. The 82- year-old former president's office says Biden and his family are now reviewing treatment options with his physicians. CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein is joining us now. And Betsy, obviously, a lot of questions around this. What do we know right now?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Certainly, Jessica, a lot of questions going forward, but we know from the personal office of former President Joe Biden that the former president has been diagnosed with what they are describing as an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has metastasized to his bones. I want to read you a full statement from the former president's personal office.

It says, "Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer characterized by a Gleason score of nine with metastasis to the bone. While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone sensitive, which allows for effective management." The statement goes on to say, "that Biden and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians."

Of course, former President Biden at 82-years-old made history as the oldest sitting U.S. president and there were so many concerns and scrutiny about his physical fitness to serve another four years, ultimately leaving the president to make the decision back in July of 2024 to drop out of the presidential race. Of course, he has contended that he believes he was indeed fit to serve.

And I want to read to you a little bit from an office from -- a letter from his former physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, who said in a letter back in February of 2024 that Biden was fit for duty. He has sleep apnea, which is being treated. He has nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. He's being treated for high cholesterol as well as acid reflux and seasonal allergies. Of course, we have asked the White House, the Trump administration, as

well as a spokesperson for, Dr. Biden, the First Lady, for comment and reaction to this concerning news. Some signs of optimism, of course, that this type of prostate cancer can be responding to, it says it appears to be hormone sensitive, which allows for effective management. But, again, quite concerning that it has indeed spread to his bones.

Now the former president has maintained relatively low profile since leaving office in January, but we have started to see him re-emerge on the world stage. He attended the funeral of Pope Francis back on April 26th. And then on May 8th, he was featured as a guest on "The View" alongside the former First Lady Jill Biden.

Now, we do not know where the former president is being treated, but he is in Wilmington this weekend with family according to a source familiar. And, of course, cancer -- curing cancer is something that is so near and dear to the former president back during the Obama administration after his son, Beau Biden, died of glioblastoma and aggressive brain cancer. The then vice president established the cancer moonshot, which was an initiative with a goal of ending cancer as we know it. It was reestablished in 2022.

So, again, very concerning news, some signs of optimism, but we will be tracking this quite closely reaching out to all of our sources, Jessica, and bringing you the latest updates as we get them.

DEAN: Yeah. And, Betsy, again, just underscoring, this is breaking news. We're still seeing this all kind of play out, but what about public support for the former president? I noticed some people are starting to make public comments on this.

KLEIN: Yeah. We are starting to see an outpouring of public support. Again, we haven't heard anything just yet from the White House. We have asked for reaction, but we are going to be watching all of these. You know, it's shocking news and hearing from some of the president's top allies, advisers, former staffers, those that I'm talking to, on text message, all exhibiting a lot of shock and concern, and really sadness about their former boss, just writ-large.

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Really very concerned about what this news could portend, of course, what his treatment is going to look like and how this is going to progress.

DEAN: Certainly. I know this is -- this is shocking news, especially for those who are close to him, who've worked with him for a long time. Betsy Klein from the White House, thank you so much for that latest reporting. Stay close. We'll check back in with you.

I want to bring in CNN medical analyst, Dr. Jonathan Reiner. Dr. Reiner, thanks for being here with us. I really want to drill down into kind of getting some context around what this diagnosis can mean. We're not -- I'm not a doctor, you are, and that's where I think you can help us here. So what does this diagnosis say to you and help people understand how serious this is?

JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, first of all, Jessica, the, you know, my thoughts are with the former president. Anyone who's ever, heard a physician tell them that they have cancer understands how uncertain and disorienting and terrifying these times can be. So, my thoughts go to the former president and his family. So prostate cancer is, extraordinarily common. About one in eight men in this country will, get prostate cancer, during their lifetime.

And, you know, the outlook, I think, depends a lot on the cell type and how responsive it is to hormone therapy. What we've heard so far, sort of bad news and good news. The bad news is that his Gleason score, which is how the pathologists grade the aggressiveness of the tumor by looking at it under the microscope, was quite high. The Gleason score goes from one to ten, one being the best, 10 being the worst, and his, tumor was graded as a nine. So a very aggressive form.

The second adverse diagnostic information that we've received is the fact that it's now already a metastatic to bone. So it's no longer contained in the prostate. So this is not something that can be cured simply by doing a prostatectomy. Without metastases, you know, prostate cancer is often treated initially with removing the prostate, but that's not an issue here because the cells have already spread into other parts of the body and we're told that it's spread to the bone.

But there are treatment options, where the good news is that, we're told that the former president's particular tumor appears to be sensitive to hormone therapy. The male hormone testosterone causes prostate cancers to grow, so blocking a testosterone is a very important therapy in treating men with prostate cancer. So it sounds like that's probably an option for him going forward. There are really a large array of potential therapies for people with metastatic prostate cancer, including immune therapy.

This is really a cutting edge new therapy where you're basically training someone's own T cells, T immune cells, to go after the tumor. There's more traditional chemotherapy. So there are a lot of, you know, options going forward. So there are a lot of things to do.

DEAN: Yeah. And so it sounds like, obviously, he'll be working with his doctors, but that they will choose from whatever combination of those treatments you just laid out that might potentially be the right path for him going forward. And I just want to make sure I'm understanding when they say it is hormone sensitive and that's a good news. You're saying if you can block that testosterone, which is, of course, a hormone, that that can give them a little more control, I guess, or they hope for the fact that it would give them a little more control over that cancer?

REINER: Yeah. And I think in an 82-year-old, patient, what you're really trying to do is control the cancer, prevent the cancer from, you know, spreading more widely, spreading to, you know, organs, you know, like the liver or the lungs and trying to control it for as long as you can. And being hormone sensitive gives them the option of using these androgen blocking therapies. DEAN: And then the other piece of information that you were going through as well was this -- was this information that it has spread to his bones, that it has metastasized. When you hear that, that does sound daunting. What -- is that painful? What else does that, you know, what else does that mean for the patient in this case?

REINER: Yeah. It can certainly cause bone pain, right? And, you know, once the tumor starts affecting the bones, particularly the long bones, particular bones of the legs and things like that and back. But, you know, the more important aspect of the fact that it's metastatic to bone is that it really does change or metastatic period is that it does change the prognosis.

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Sometimes, you know, people with early diagnosis of prostate cancer can really, you know, look forward to, you know, sometimes, you know, 10 years of survival. But the fact that we're told that this is, you know, metastatic now, the five year survival rate on average is about, you know, 33 percent. So, you know, there are some people that do well and some people that that don't do well.

And, you know, when oncologists talk to, you know, patients, it's important for the patients to understand that they are not a statistic. And if they look at Google and they look at that number and they look at a number that says, for instance, that five year survival rate is 33 percent, now that can be very, very, dispiriting.

But what I think a lot of doctors would tell a patient, what I would tell the patient if I were an oncologist, is that statistics are for a hundred people, and what they should only be interested is what is their outlook. What are the features of their tumor and their overall condition? Where does that point them? And to me, it sounds like there's a lot to do here.

And so I would -- if I were involved in the president's care, and I have not, I would tell them, look, we have a lot to do now. We'll take things one at a time, and we'll pick a comprehensive cancer center to help structure your treatment, and I'm sure that's what President Biden's team is doing. They're looking for a comprehensive cancer center that [ph] families have quite a bit of history with the University of Pennsylvania, and they have a fabulous cancer center. So I wouldn't be surprised if he gets treatment there or a place like Sloan Kettering in New York or MD Anderson in Texas. The U.S. is filled with world class, really the world's best cancer center. So anything that is available anywhere will be available to him.

DEAN: And I do want to ask you, as we noted, he is 82-years-old. How does age play a factor in a diagnosis like this?

REINER: Right. So first of all, prostate cancer can be seen in much younger men, but, about 60 percent of the diagnoses of prostate cancer are made in men over the age of 65. So we see it more frequently in older men. You know, sometimes with lower, you know, grade tumors, a doc might tell a patient that they're more likely to die with this cancer than of this cancer. You know, I'm not an oncologist, so I won't weigh into whether that is actually the case with this, cancer, particularly since it's been described to us as more aggressive and already, metastatic.

But, again, the fact that he's over 80 years of age, this is population that we see prostate cancer in. I will say one thing. When the president's physical exam was last performed in February of 2024, there really wasn't any mention of his prostate. So it's hard -- you know, one thing that would be interesting to know, is, you know, whether or not there are any signs of prostate cancer in February, 2024.

And, you know, the way one would screen for that is with the familiar PSA, prostate specific antigen, which is a blood test that looks for this protein that is released from a prostate and released in greater amounts when the prostate is invaded with cancer. So it'd be interesting to know whether the president was tested for that in February of 2024.

DEAN: Alright. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, thank you for giving us some context around this. We really appreciate it.

REINER: My pleasure.

DEAN: And stay with us. Our breaking news coverage of President Biden -- former President Biden being diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. We will have continued coverage for you straight ahead.

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DEAN: Back to our breaking news now. Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that doctors say have spread to his bones. This obviously coming just months after he left office. And joining us now is former White House communications director under President Biden Kate Bedingfield. Kate, thanks for being here with us. I'm really sorry it's under these circumstances. Obviously, this is -- no one wants this news. But I do want to just get your first thoughts. Our sense is, again, talking to Betsy Klein as well and talking to others in Biden's orbit, it's just a lot for a lot of his former staff and friends to absorb right now.

KATE BEDINGFIELD, FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: It is. It is incredibly sad. It's heartbreaking. I've heard from a lot of folks in this last hour or so since the news broke, people who have worked for him for a long time who are sad, who are sending their best to him, who are feeling devastated by this news, to be candid. Obviously, I worked for him for a long time and saw up close how caring he is with his staff.

And, you know, he's the first person if somebody on his team gets a piece of bad news, certainly a bad medical diagnosis, but even a smaller piece of bad news. He's the first person to, you know, to pick up the phone, to call, to have them come in, to write them a letter. I mean, he's just incredibly thoughtful in that way. [17:19:55]

And so, you know, to see somebody that we care about have to endure this himself. It's obviously -- it's hard, and his staff are taking it hard.

DEAN: Yeah. I mean --

BEDINGFIELD: -- who also say that Joe Biden I know is, yeah -- no, no. Go ahead. Go ahead.

DEAN: No. I was just going to -- I was just going to say, sorry. I think we had a little glitch, and I thought you were finished talking. I didn't mean to interrupt you. I was just going to say that I -- what is ironic about this in a way is that, of course, the Biden family had to deal with the cancer death of Beau Biden, his oldest son, and then just their focus, the president -- President Biden's focus and also Jill Biden's on finding a cure for cancer, the moonshot initiative. They worked really hard on all of that.

BEDINGFIELD: Yeah. I mean, this has been an animating cause of his life since he lost his son Beau. And, you know, during his time as vice president when I was working for him, he was standing up the cancer moonshot and doing -- spending an enormous amount of time on that work and bringing together leading cancer researchers and cancer institutions across the country who are doing this work to try to create, you know, less siloing so that people who were diagnosed weren't having to travel to multiple different cancer centers to get the information they needed.

So he was really (inaudible) this problem from a perspective of somebody who has lived how challenging it is to have a loved one have this diagnosis. And it was a big motivating factor for him and was when he was president as well. So, to see him have to grapple with this personally, obviously, is very heartbreaking. But, you know, he is also, you know, if anything, he is a fighter and he is somebody who is relentlessly optimistic. And I have to imagine that he and his family are approaching this with that same relentless optimism that I've seen them tackle other challenges.

But it's certainly, you know, it is certainly personally, hard. And, you know, I think the country has seen. I think people will remember him consoling Meghan McCain on "The View" when her father had cancer back in 2017, 2018, I think it was. And that's, you know, he's somebody who gives that empathy and I have to imagine and I really hope that he is getting that empathy, is that he's feeling that, now that this news is out in the world.

DEAN: Yeah. And they did share this news, again late this afternoon. And look, it comes at an interesting time when back in the conversation, you know, he was dogged by questions about his health and his fitness and his age there at the end. That is obviously back in the news again right now. And now to hear this, the timing of it all is interesting. And clearly, he's dealing with a major health issue at this time. BEDINGFIELD: Yeah. And I and imagine that's also -- that is also

challenging for him in this moment. I think any diagnosis in and of itself, it's already a lot. And then obviously to be grappling with the political conversation that's happening right now, I'm sure, you know, I I'm sure that's -- I'm sure that's heavy for him.

But, you know, I also think that, again, I imagine, I hope, that what he's feeling right now first and foremost is that warmth, that empathy, that love from people around him, that he has been the one to deliver to so, so, so many people throughout the course of his life.

And first and foremost, setting the politics of the moment and the discussion of the campaign of 2024 and all of it aside, I hope that first and foremost that he's feeling that love.

DEAN: Yeah. And, again, I know you were saying at the beginning, you've talked to a lot of people, you know, who have worked for him, who are also you know -- when someone's diagnosed with cancer, it is them, of course, first and foremost, but then it's their family. It's their friends. Everybody kind of has to adjust to that as well. And so it's certainly hard, but we appreciate you coming on, Kate. Thank you so much.

BEFINGFIELD: Absolutely. Of course.

DEAN: Thanks. We're going to have much more on our breaking news. President Joe Biden, again, diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. We're going to have a quick break. We'll be right back.

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DEAN: And we are back with our breaking news tonight as former President Joe Biden's personal office announces he has been diagnosed with what they are describing as an aggressive form of prostate cancer. They say that cancer has spread to his bones. CNN senior White House reporter Betsy Klein is joining us now. Betsy, what more are you learning about this still breaking news?

KLEIN: Certainly, Jessica. Some much concern pouring in from aides and allies as well as from members of both parties, both sides of the aisle. We've heard thoughts and prayers and statements of concerns from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg who served under the Biden administration as well as Donald Trump, Jr., the president's son, expressing his concern about this news.

But what we have learned according to a statement just in the last hour from the personal office of former President Joe Biden is that the former president was diagnosed with what they are describing as an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. I want to read you this full statement. "Last week, president Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer characterized by a Gleason score of nine with metastasis to the bone. While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone sensitive, which allows for effective management. The president and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians."

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Of course, that statement there is quite measured. On one hand, it says that it is possible that he could respond well to some of these treatment options, but at the same time, the cancer has metastasized to his bones which, of course, is quite possible that he could respond well to some of these treatment options but at the same time, the cancer has metastasized to his bones which, of course, is quite concerning.

Now, the president is 82 years old. He made history as the oldest sitting U.S. president. And there, of course, had been so much scrutiny, Jessica, about Biden's physical fitness as well as his mental acuity to continue serving an additional four-year term. Of course, that is why he ultimately decided under much public pressure to suspend his bid for the presidency back in July of 2024. Now we have reached out to this White House, the Trump administration, for reaction as well as to a spokesperson for the former first lady, Dr. Jill Biden.

The president had really kept a low profile after inauguration in January, really retreating from the public view, but we have started to see him in public a little bit more. He attended the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26 at the Vatican. He also sat for an interview with the women of "The View" on May 8 earlier this month, of course, alongside the former first lady.

The Biden family, of course, no stranger to cancer. Their son, Beau Biden, died of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. And after Beau Biden's death, the vice president at the time during the Obama administration established the Cancer Moonshot that had a goal of ending cancer as we know it. It was something that he reestablished during his term, his presidency back in 2022, a cause so near and dear to his heart.

I also want to just go through a couple of notes from our CNN health team on what to expect from this type of aggressive prostate cancer. It says even patients with high-risk prostate cancer can live a pretty normal life with treatment.

Dr. Benjamin Davies, who's a professor of urologic -- urologic oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who's not involved personally in Biden's case, he tells us that the fact that Biden's cancer has spread to his bones is -- quote -- "very serious and not curable." Davies goes on to say that there is some good news in the newer hormonal and chemotherapy therapies that have come into the space in the past few years, have shown some impressive results, but it could take a few weeks, according to Davies, to see how the former president responds to this treatment.

Of course, we are tracking this quite closely, bring you any developments as we get them, Jessica. DEAN: Of course. All right, Betsy Klein at the White House, thanks so much. We're actually going to be speaking with the urologist in the next hour as well. Stay close. We will check back in with you. Of course, this news coming just months after the former president left office.

CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash is joining us now by phone. Dana, thanks so much for jumping on and being here with us as we're learning more about this breaking news. You know, I -- I'm curious what you're hearing. As -- as I'm talking to people who worked with Joe Biden and -- and obviously knew him, they're just -- they're -- they're surprised and they're -- they're sad, frankly, to hear these stories.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): That's exactly right, Jessica. I literally just got a text from a Democrat who has known him for a very long time, who just said simply, this was already going to be a tough week and this makes it much harder.

And that is a reference to the fact that our colleague, Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson of Axios, they, of course, have a book that's set to publish on Tuesday, talking about not some of former President Biden's physical fitness while he was in office, but also about his mental acuity, and the idea that now the sort of the world is looking at President Biden and knows the fact that he has a very, very big physical challenge ahead of him, which is -- which is cancer and fighting cancer.

But what has occurred to me is that the stubbornness, that is kind of a hallmark of his personality, one that I witnessed covering him when he was a United States Senator for, you know, 10 plus years, when I was covering at Capitol Hill when he was still there before he came -- became a vice president, and then continue to -- to have that sensibility in -- in all ways, that's going serve him well here, Jessica. That's going to serve him very well because he is -- is a hard-headed guy, and that means that, you know, cancer is going to have to try a lot harder to get in his way.

And -- and the fact that we have been hearing from medical experts, including Jonathan Reiner, who was on with you, and some of those Betsy was just referring to that our medical team was in touch with, and even according to the statement that the former president's office put out, yes, it is in his bones, and that is just horrifying. But the fact that it is the kind of cancer that, apparently, can be treated with hormone therapy is a big deal.

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And the fact that it is 2025 and not, frankly, not even 2023 or 2020, and that therapies are coming about and being discovered and worked on by excellent scientists every single day is a good thing for -- for President Biden. And so that is definitely something that the people in and around him, particularly his family who are so close knit --

DEAN: Right.

BASH (via telephone): -- are no doubt taking solace from.

DEAN: Yeah. Dana, I want you to hang with us for just one second. I want to go back to Betsy Klein at the White House because I believe President Trump has put out a statement. Betsy, what's he saying?

KLEIN: Yeah, Jessica, we got a very brief statement from President Donald Trump, who is here at the White House this weekend, expressing his concern and good wishes for former President Joe Biden. I just want to read it to you very quickly. He posted it to social media. Quote -- "Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden's recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery."

Of course, the last time the two of them were seen together was at the funeral of Pope Francis back on April 26. They've had such a contentious relationship but really a moment of solidarity expressing his concern and well wishes to his predecessor.

DEAN: Absolutely. Okay, Betsy, thank you so much. We'll be right back with you. Dana, are you still here with us?

BASH (via telephone): I am. Hi, Jess.

DEAN: Okay. Hey, okay, so I think you could probably hear our colleague, Betsy Klein, with what President Trump just said.

BASH (via telephone): Yes.

DEAN: And -- and I just want to kind of get your thoughts. Look, they do have a contentious relationship, and -- and that was a really hard fought, you know, campaign, and then Joe Biden stepping down. He -- Trump has continued to focus on Joe Biden in office. And now to hear this, I just kind of want to get your thoughts.

BASH (via telephone): Yeah. I mean, it's a very human, very traditional response from President Trump.

DEAN: Traditional. Yes.

BASH (via telephone): There's no -- and there's no question that -- that the Biden family, regardless of what she has mentioned, which is that President Trump is still somehow campaigning against Joe Biden even though he hasn't been in office for -- for six year -- for six months rather of war. And so, the fact that we heard that statement that Betsy just put out there is -- is -- is important.

And, you know, as she was reading that, I was thinking about when President Biden won in -- in 2020 and became president in -- in January of 2021, him talking about the note that Donald Trump left on his way out. As is the tradition, you leave a -- a note in the -- in the drawer of the resolute desk. And we didn't know the specifics, but what we knew from President Biden was that it was a heartfelt and gracious note.

And so, look for all of the bombast and the politics that we see all over the place, especially right now, and we -- it's -- it's important to take a moment and to be human, and -- and that's what we've certainly just heard.

And as I'm saying that, I also -- and I believe you've got some of this from some of the other guests that you've been talking to, including like Kate Benningfield who --

DEAN: Uh-hmm.

BASH (via telephone): -- worked for President Biden for so long, is that Joe Biden is the guy on the phone with anybody and everybody who needs some, whether it's condolences or, you know, attaboys or, you know, don't give up, fight, fight, fight, he is somebody who has spent years reaching out and going above and beyond to make connections with people he knew, whether it was staff or friends or colleagues or people he didn't really knew -- know. You know, sort of a friend of a friend. And, you know, in that sense, this is -- this is karma. And he's obviously going to go through a very tough time, and he has been going through a challenging time for lots of reasons.

And, you know, this is a moment where he's going to hear how people feel about him and his 50 years of service regardless of the -- of the controversy surrounding the last few years.

DEAN: Yeah. The timing is -- is kind of incredible. Dana Bash, thank you so much for -- for being here with us. We really appreciate it.

BASH (via telephone): Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: Thanks. We'll talk soon. We're going to have much more on our breaking news in just a moment. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Fight against cancer. The fight to eliminate racial disparities in cancer and outcomes is a fight we have to be unwilling to postpone.

[17:40:05]

I am convinced, as we make significant progress in cancer, the only truly nonpartisan issue facing this country, that the rest of the nation is going to say, damn it, we can do anything. This is the United States of America. This is fully, thoroughly, totally, completely within our wheelhouse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[17:45:00]

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DEAN: Back now to our breaking news coverage of former President Biden's cancer diagnosis. We're told this is an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. It's coming just four months after he has left the White House.

I do want to go to Betsy Klein at the White House. And Betsy, I -- I -- we just heard from President Trump in a statement. We're now hearing from former Vice President Kamala Harris. What is she saying?

KLEIN: That's right, Jessica. The reaction, statements of concern, thoughts, and prayers are pouring in from both sides of the aisle. Of course, we just heard a little while ago from President Trump and the first lady. But now, we are hearing from Vice President Kamala Harris. Of course, she was Biden's running mate, and he passed the baton to her in July when he announced that he would not be seeking a second term as president.

I want to read to you from this post to social media from the former vice president. She says -- quote -- "Doug and I are saddened to hear of President Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis. We are keeping him, Dr. Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time." She goes on to say, "Joe is a fighter, and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery."

She posted a photo of herself with the former president together in the Oval Office, both of them smiling. Of course, we are continuing to track reaction from, again, around the world, former aides and allies. A lot of text messages I'm getting, trickling in from folks who worked for the former president at the White House on his campaign, expressing a lot of concern at this very serious diagnosis of an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, Jessica.

DEAN: Okay, Betsy. Stay there at the White House. We will check back in with you with any more breaking news as we go on in the next couple of hours. In the meantime, I want to go now to Democratic strategist Paul Begala, who is joining us now, a former adviser to President Clinton.

Paul, thanks so much for being here with us. I first just want to get your reaction to this news that I think everybody, Democrat or Republican, is trying to absorb right now. And as Betsy was alluding to and talking to people who worked with the former president, there is a lot of surprise and shock and sadness.

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, FORMER ADVISER TO PRESIDENT CLINTON: Well, there is. I will note that Joe Biden is a man of powerful, profound faith. He's a brother Catholic. And at moments like this especially, Joe Biden turns to faith. He has been through this. He lost his son, Beau, of course, to cancer. So, I am praying for him, and I ask viewers to do the same, politics aside.

But think about this. There's a better than one in three chance, if you're watching this broadcast, better than one in three chance that one day you will be sitting in a room with bad fluorescent lighting and the doc will say to you, I'm sorry, it's cancer.

But there's hope. You know, cancer deaths are down 33% in the last 34 years. This is one of the great passions of my life. I'm on the board of advisors of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the world's foremost cancer hospital. I'm not an expert, but I care a lot. I lost my dad, my stepfather to cancer. I care a lot about this. And people need to know that there is hope. And the engine of that hope has been American research.

And I have to say it breaks my heart that people in Washington are talking about cutting the budget for cancer research. Let me give you some data. The National Cancer Institute, the largest funder of cancer research in the world, our National Cancer Institute, the federal governments, it only spends $7.2 billion a year on cancer research. That's it! On a disease that one out of three of us will get, seven billion. Okay, we just had Easter five weeks ago. We spent 22 billion on Easter. We spent 15 billion on Super Bowl parties.

I mean, one of the great things about Joe Biden is the passion he has brought to fighting cancer for all of us, not just for his kid and not just now for him. His Cancer Moonshot was revolutionary.

And -- and I got to tell you, I'm praying for Joe Biden, but I love that old African proverb that says, when you pray, move your feet. And I -- I want to move my feet and start to pressure these politicians in Washington to do something more on cancer research, more and better research, which is working, rather than cutting cancer research. It's a wrong thing to do.

DEAN: Yeah. It is incredible just how much cancer runs through the story of -- of Joe Biden, both as a father and as a -- as a president, a politician, a vice president. As you mentioned, he lost his own son, Beau, to cancer in 2015. Then he and Jill Biden spent so much time, both when he was vice president and then as president, on the Cancer Moonshot initiative. This is something.

And as Dana Bash was saying, and when I covered him, he was -- he's so well known for consoling people, picking up -- he calls everyone to talk to them, to console them, to check in on them, to make sure they have what they need if they're sick or ill, especially when it comes to cancer because he has experienced it in his family.

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And so now for him to -- to be experiencing this himself, it's -- it's such a moment.

BEGALA: Well, it is. And, you know, Hemingway said life breaks us all, but some emerge stronger at the broken places. Man is that Joe Biden. He is a guy who -- cruel fate has broken him so many times. He has borne more pain than anybody I know. And yet he is empathetic. He doesn't just say, oh, I've had a lot more pain than you, and so I don't really want to hear about your pain. Always reaching out, always helping, and always doing.

His public life, he has spent more time in public life than -- you know, half a century. And one of the hallmarks of it has been this remarkable Biden empathy, especially on cancer, his Cancer Moonshot and the emphasis that he put on cancer research where we lead the world. America is the world's leader. We have the smartest scientists from all over the world who want to come here.

And I have to say I'm terrified. I hear reports. I talked to somebody yesterday, who was talking about somebody who was offered a job in -- in -- in medical science and left to go to Europe rather than just stay here.

So, I do think there are things we can all do. Most important thing is -- is to pray, and then after that, to support research into this disease because it knows no partisanship. I am telling you, it -- cancer doesn't ask, are you Republican or Democrat? And we shouldn't ask which party we're in when we're looking to -- to fund the research also.

DEAN: Yeah. And look, there is the humanity of this, which I think we have certainly been able to -- to get at in this conversation. There's also inherently, kind of the politics piece of this, which is this was going to be a week where Joe Biden and his family were going to see the release of this book by our colleague, Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, that focused a lot on -- on his questions about his mental acuity and his fitness for office and -- and all of these questions, which now, you know, he has to deal with this announcement that he has this aggressive form of cancer.

BEGALA: It is -- it is terrible timing. I -- I -- I will say it highlights the need for more transparency, medical transparency for our presidents, irrespective of party, irrespective of -- of the individual. We need to know more. Just like we need to know more -- I would have much greater transparency about their financial health as well. I want to see their tax returns, every bit of business. But we have a right.

The third president, Thomas Jefferson, said, when a person becomes a public official, they become public property. And so, I do think that's legitimate. I -- I think Jake books -- Jake's book is going to be very important. It's terrible timing for President Biden as a guy and his family, and I hate that. But there are larger issues here.

I -- I will note, as an ardent Democrat, it's really important that I speak up and thank President Trump for his gracious statement. His son, Donald Junior, issued gracious statements. This is important. I'm not somebody who's generally a big Trump fan, but I -- I do admire that President Trump today and his son put out public statements of support and encouragement for President Biden and his family. That's really important.

DEAN: All right, Paul Begala, thank you. It's -- it's nice to see you. I'm sorry it's to cover a story like this, but thank you so much. We appreciate it.

BEGALA: Thanks, Jessica.

DEAN: CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter is joining us now. And -- and Brian, thanks for -- for -- for jumping on with us. Look, this is breaking news that came just about a cup -- two hours ago, and it is now rippling through, you know, television media, online. How are people consuming this? How is it reaching people? BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST, AUTHOR, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT FOR VANITY FAIR: And, you know, I'm seeing some prostate cancer survivors, people who have lived with this disease, who have been through this, expressing support, condolences but also support and cheering Biden on as he faces this.

The timing, Jessica, is -- is just extraordinary. We know from the statement from his personal spokesman that -- that Biden learned the diagnosis on Friday. Well, what was the biggest Biden story on Friday? It was the release of those audio excerpts from his conversations with Robert Hur back in 2023.

This was the audio that Axios obtained almost certainly from the Trump administration showing memory lapses. And you heard a lot of people on Friday talking about that audio being hard to hear, even excruciating to hear, Biden showing his age on those audio tapes that had never been heard by the public until now.

So, on the day that story was breaking, Biden was facing this -- this personal news, at least that's according to the statement from his personal spokesman. So, you have that as one element of the timing here.

And then you have, as you and Paul just acknowledged, this book coming out, one of the biggest political books in several years. Take out our colleague, Jake Tapper, for a second. This book, no matter who -- no matter where it was coming from, was going to be a very big blockbuster book. And it just so happens two of the best reporters in Washington, Jake Tapper and Alice Thompson, are the authors of it. It's already a bestseller, based on the number of preorders.

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And so, this book comes out in two days, but some of the excerpts have already come out. And it's reignited this debate in Washington and beyond within the Democratic Party about Biden, about whether he should have run for reelection at all.

So, it seems to me, Jessica, this debate doesn't end at all, but it is briefly put on pause as a result of today's news.

DEAN: Absolutely. And these people really absorb this, hopefully, just in -- in a human way first. Brian -- Brian Stelter, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it. We're going to have much more on our breaking news after a quick break.

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