WASHINGTON − Vice PresidentJD Vancequestioned whetherJoe Bidenhad been fit for duty in the White House following news the former president has an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Speaking to reporters on Air Force Two aftermeeting Pope Leo XIV in Rome, Vance said he wishes the best for Biden, adding that "hopefully he makes the right recovery." Vance then reflected on Biden's four years in the White House. "Whether the right time to have this conversation is now or at some point in the future, we really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job," Vance said. "You can separate the desire for him to have the right health outcome with the recognition that whether it was doctors or whether there were staffers around the former president ‒ I don't think he was able to do a good job for the American people." More:Former President Joe Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive form' of prostate cancer "That's not politics. That's not because I disagreed with him on policy," Vance said. "That's because I don't think that he was in good enough health." Biden, 82, was diagnosed on May 16 withprostate cancer that had spread to the boneafter a nodule was discovered on his prostate following urinary symptoms, a spokesperson said. Biden has a Gleason score of 9 and a grade group 5, which is on the higher end of the scale, meaning the cancer is more likely to grow and spread quickly. Biden'smost recent annual physical as presidenttook place in February 2024. The president's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, did not identify any signs of cancer, describing Biden as a "healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency." The report cited Biden's sleep apnea treatment and stiffened gait from arthritis. "I blame him less than I blame the people around him," Vance said of Biden. "Why didn't the American people have a better sense of his health picture? Why didn't the American people have more accurate information about what he was actually dealing with?" More:After Joe Biden medical diagnosis report, here are risks and symptoms of prostate cancer In February 2023, askin lesion was removed from Biden's chest, but his doctor said no additional treatment was needed for what is known as basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer. Biden, the oldest person ever elected as U.S. president, dropped out of the 2024 presidential election last July after he struggled to piece together coherent thoughts during a disastrous debate with PresidentDonald Trumpthat exposed an aging president. More:Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis and when illness strikes just as you finally retire Multiple books published in the months after Biden's presidency have detailed efforts by the White Houseto conceal Biden's decline, forcing Democrats to answer whether they believe the octogenarian president should have passed the torcher earlier. "This is serious stuff. This is a guy who carries around the nuclear football for the world's largest nuclear arsenal," Vance said. "This is not child's play, and we can pray for good health, but also recognize that if you're not in good enough health to do the job, you shouldn't be doing the job." More:Trump still 'trusts' doctors after shocking Biden cancer diagnosis Trump, in a May 18 statement, said he and first ladyMelania Trumpwere saddened to hear about Biden's cancer and extended their "warmest and best wishes" to the Biden family. Trump ‒ who for years has mocked Biden over his mental fitness ‒ has yet to publicly speculate on Biden's health as president following his cancer diagnosis. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on May 19 said Trumpstill has faith in the qualityof health care being provided to him in the wake of his predecessor's cancer diagnosis. "He trusts his physicians," Leavitt said. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:VP Vance questions Biden's health as president after cancer diagnosis
