Former President Joe Biden has canceled his planned 2025 speaking tour as he continues to battle aggressive prostate cancer, raising fresh concerns about the 82-year-old's health.

Biden, who stepped aside from the 2024 presidential race to make way for Kamala Harris, had been scheduled for several paid appearances that were expected to bring in as much as $300,000 per event. But sources confirmed to RadarOnline.com that those engagements have now been scrapped.

The decision follows a series of health-related challenges that have dogged the former president in recent years. In 2023, Biden was slated to appear at the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel in Philadelphia, but the visit was canceled after officials determined the physical strain of climbing "lots of steps" could pose a risk. Weeks earlier, Biden stumbled on stage during the Air Force Academy's graduation ceremony, an incident the White House attributed to a sandbag.

Biden's health has been under close watch since his June 2024 debate with Donald Trump, where his faltering performance fueled questions about his stamina and ultimately contributed to his withdrawal from the race. His cancer diagnosis was later revealed to be aggressive, with a Gleason score of 9, according to top oncologist Dr. Zeke Emanuel.

"He probably had it at the start of his presidency, in 2021," Emanuel said during an appearance on MSNBC in May.

The former president has largely retreated from public life, spending most of his time at his Delaware home. Earlier this month, he was spotted at an ice cream shop in Rehoboth Beach, where supporters noted he appeared visibly thinner.

Despite health struggles, Biden has kept a low profile. His aides stress that he is focused on treatment and rest. His absence from the profitable speaking circuit highlights the seriousness of his condition and has increased speculation about his remaining years in politics.

Vance vs. Zelensky: Oval Office Blowup Blamed on Biden's "Money Pit" Ukraine Policy

In separate news, Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that a heated Oval Office exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February reflected broader frustration with the way the Biden administration handled aid to Ukraine, not a personal vendetta against the wartime leader.

"I think that was useful for the American people to see," Vance told USA TODAY in an interview published Wednesday. "Sometimes people disagree. Do I wish that we had had a blowup in the Oval Office in public? Not necessarily."

The Feb. 28 meeting, which was televised, devolved into a lengthy, testy confrontation inside the Oval Office as Zelenskyy visited the White House to sign a deal that would allow the United States to receive revenue from Ukrainian minerals in exchange for military assistance. The exchange included sharp remarks from President Donald Trump and raised questions about whether Vance had sought to embarrass Zelenskyy.

Vance said his criticism was aimed squarely at the prior Biden administration's Ukraine policy. He disputed the notion that the Ukrainians were solely at fault, saying his greater concern was the American side, where he said officials "would leave with billions of dollars without any real goal, any real diplomacy, any real sense of what we were going to buy with that a hundred billion dollars."

"That always really frustrated me far more than Zelenskyy was asking for help from Washington," Vance said. He added that the Biden administration "had no plan for how to end the war," calling earlier U.S. assistance "a weird money pit where we'd throw money after the problem without any real plan to solve the problem."

Vance said he and Trump have held "a number of good conversations" with Zelenskyy and that the administration remains committed to protecting Ukraine's territorial integrity and preventing Russia from conquering the entire country. He also acknowledged some disagreements with Zelenskyy but said the two sides are "pretty aligned."

President Trump has suggested a negotiated settlement with Russia that could include territorial concessions by Ukraine, describing the conflict as reaching a point in which neither side is making decisive gains. Vance said a peaceful settlement that stops the killing would be "what's best for everybody, including the United States."

The Oval Office confrontation, which lasted nearly an hour and was broadcast, intensified debate in Washington over U.S. policy toward Ukraine and how the Trump administration will approach the conflict. It also prompted speculation that Vance had orchestrated the episode to put Zelenskyy on the defensive; Vance has rejected that characterization.

Tags
Joe biden