I’ll always remember where I was on May 19, 2025, when every Republican in America became a urologic oncologist with a deep and specific expertise in former President Joe Biden’s prostate.

That was the moment a shiny new right-wing conspiracy theory was born. Biden’s announcement that he has an aggressive form of prostate cancer was instantly turned into a scandal, with everyone from Vice President JD Vance to one of President Donald Trump’s sons suggesting the diagnosis must have been part of an elaborate cover-up.
“We really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job,” Vance said, ignoring his administration’s flailing incompetence and the fact that the economy under Biden was considerably better than it is now.

The perpetually loathsome Trump offspring, Donald Trump Jr., posted this on social media: “What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup???” He was clearly mocking Biden’s wife, who is a teacher and not a medical doctor, while also making himself look even stupider – there’s no such thing as “stage five” cancer.
Widespread idiocy aside, the basis for an alleged cover-up is faulty at best. The Washington Post interviewed Otis Brawley, a Johns Hopkins University oncologist who treats people with metastatic prostate cancer, and reported that “it’s not surprising if previous prostate exams or screening while Biden was president failed to turn up indications of cancer,” and “this happens all the time.”