Just one day after former President Joe Biden announced his battle with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made a comment that many found shockingly cold and out of touch.
At a press briefing, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy raised a pointed question about the quality of medical care U.S. presidents receive, following Biden’s late-stage cancer diagnosis.
“White House doctors may have missed the early stages of his prostate cancer,” Doocy said. “Is President Trump worried about the quality of care that presidents get here?”
Karoline Leavitt, just 27, swiftly brushed off the concern. “Not as far as President Trump is concerned,” she responded.
She went on to praise the White House medical team. “The White House physician we have here is phenomenal,” Leavitt said. “And the team at Walter Reed Medical Center is excellent.”
Highlighting Trump’s own health, she added, “He had perfect results. He’s in very good shape. I think those of you who traveled with us to the Middle East last week can attest to the president’s endurance.”
She added that Trump was back in the Oval Office working nonstop all day Saturday, just hours after returning from the trip. “He doesn’t stop, he doesn’t quit, he’s in great health, and he trusts his physicians.”
Though Leavitt’s remarks seemed aimed at reassuring the public about Trump’s condition, many viewers felt the tone was strikingly insensitive given the gravity of Biden’s recent cancer diagnosis.
“She came off as heartless and vindictive,” one commenter wrote. Another user pointed out the irony, noting that Trump appeared to fall asleep multiple times during the very trip Leavitt praised.
The backlash comes in the wake of Biden’s announcement that he is battling a high-grade form of prostate cancer. According to his office, he sought evaluation after experiencing urinary symptoms, which led doctors to discover a prostate nodule. Further tests confirmed the cancer had spread to his bones, underscoring the seriousness of his diagnosis.
“This represents a more aggressive form of the disease,” the statement explained. However, because the cancer is hormone-sensitive, it may respond well to treatment.
Biden’s cancer has been assigned a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5), one of the highest possible ratings, indicating rapidly growing, abnormal cells. While the exact stage has not been publicly disclosed, the presence of metastasis confirms it is advanced.
He and his family are now carefully considering treatment options, which are expected to include hormone therapy. Biden is currently at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, though it remains unclear where he will undergo treatment.
Despite the severity of the diagnosis, some medical experts remain cautiously optimistic about his prognosis.
“This is bread-and-butter genitourinary oncology,” explained Dr. Alan Tan, a specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in an interview with NBC News. “Many patients with this type of cancer can go into remission with appropriate treatment.”