Former President Biden made a public appearance Friday for the first time since his cancer diagnosis earlier this month, speaking at a Delaware ceremony in honor of Memorial Day.
Biden’s remarks came after a series of tough weeks for him, which have featured two new books containing accusations that his cognitive abilities were slipping toward the end of his presidency, topped off by his diagnosis of an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bone.
But Biden could also be back in the spotlight after the release of audio from his 2023 interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating Biden’s handling of classified and sensitive documents. The transcript of the interview had already been released last year, but the audio recording wasn’t made public until this month.
After the audio’s release, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) announced that the committee plans to hold hearings on a “cover up” concerning Biden’s mental acuity and his use of the autopen to sign executive orders and pardons.
Comer said Wednesday that he’s “open” to bringing Biden in to testify before the committee on these topics.
But Biden didn’t reference any of the developments during his speech in New Castle, focusing on honoring those who served in the armed forces and calling for a defense of democracy. He also noted that Friday marks the 10th anniversary of the death of his son, Beau, who served for a year in Iraq and died from brain cancer in 2015.
“We come together to remember the debt we owe to the American military,” he said. “The military is the solid spine of our nation.”
Biden referenced the division that dominates U.S. politics, but he said those who serve don’t “wear a uniform that says I’m a Democrat or I’m a Republican” but “I’m an American.” He said each generation of the United States has needed to fight to maintain democracy, and it must continue.
“Today, let’s renew our pledge to honor our heroes… not only with our words but with our deeds,” he said.
Biden previously spoke to a local news outlet last Friday at Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport as he was visiting for his grandson’s graduation. Despite the cancer diagnosis, Biden said he was feeling “great.”
