In his first public appearance since his cancer diagnosis, Biden spiraled into a bizarre rant and embarrassed himself as he attempted to deflect accusations that he was mentally unstable, going on to make a threat of physical violence against Jake Tapper, the CNN correspondent who wrote a book exposing the cover-up of Biden’s failing health.

For context, in an interview with CNN on May 30, 2025, Joe Biden made his first public statement since the announcement of his cancer diagnosis on May 18. During the interview, Biden predictably stumbled over his words while trying to prove his mental acuity and physical health to reporters, displaying a strange combination of aggression and confusion.

During the interview, the former president said that his cancer prognosis was “good,” adding that he was “working on everything” and that his treatment was “moving along.” When a journalist asked him if he had decided on any treatment options, Biden replied, “We have, and we’re underway, and everybody’s…all the folks are very optimistic, and so…”

Next, a journalist asked Biden if he would be “willing to share” what the details of his treatment plan were, to which the former president replied, “Yeah, it’s all a matter of taking a pill, one particular pill for the next six weeks, and then another one. The expectation is we’re going to be able to beat this. There’s, no, it’s not in any organ.”  He added, “It’s, my bones are strong. I haven’t penetrated, so I’m feeling good.”

Continuing, Biden began to become increasingly incoherent and got in the face of a female journalist, saying, “I’ve done it all because I’m loyal. I do it every d-mn year. The very beginning, you never forget where I came from.” In response, a journalist replied, “It feels like everybody didn’t know what to expect of you today. And then you get here, and you’re speaking powerfully.” They added, “You look good, and you’re confident.”

As the conversation continued to devolve, another journalist asked Biden what his cancer diagnosis has been like for his family, adding, “Obviously, this is also an emotional time. This is the 10-year anniversary of your son Bo’s passing. You received this diagnosis two weeks before that.” Biden responded, “Well, we’re all optimistic about the diagnosis.”

After these comments, a journalist asked Biden to weigh in on the “discussion recently about your mental and physical capabilities while you were in office.” Biden retorted, “You can see that I’m mentally incompetent and I can’t walk.” Referring to Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, authors of Original Sin, a recent book about the cover-up of Biden’s declining health, Biden added, “I can beat the h-ll out of both of them.”

Near the conclusion of the conversation, Biden leaned in uncomfortably close to another female reporter before saying he had “no regrets” from running for president a second time, going on to say, “I’m very proud I put my record as president against any president at all. You notice that…historians rated me pretty good, and the guy I ran against, I rated him last, so we’ll see.”

Watch the clip: