Former President Joe Biden spoke in Delaware on Friday at a Memorial Day event held four days after the federal holiday — his first public remarks since his office announced he was diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer.
Speaking at the annual event at Veterans Memorial Park in New Castle, Delaware, which is just south of his hometown of Wilmington, the former president remembered his son, Beau Biden, who died 10 years ago on May 30.
“This day is the 10th anniversary of the loss of my son Beau, who spent a year in Iraq. And to be honest, it’s a hard day,” the former president said.
“Being with all of you quite frankly makes things a little bit easier, it really does. So thank you for allowing me to grieve with you,” he said.
Beau Biden died after a battle with brain cancer. The former president noted that he served in the Delaware National Guard, saying, “His legacy lives on.”
“Just like the legacy of all our fallen heroes lives on, they live on in us and they live on in the strength and freedom of our nation,” he said.
“So everyone who came here today to grieve with grief in your heart, please know: you’re not alone,” he said. “You’ll never be alone, and your loved one will never be forgotten.”
Earlier on Friday, pictures showed Biden and former first lady Jill Biden at Saint Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington for a memorial mass.
ALEX WROBLEWSKI/AFP via Getty Images 
Biden’s office announced earlier this month he has cancer, categorized as having a Gleason score of 9, which places him in Grade Group 5, the most severe category.
“Cancer touches us all,” Biden, who is 82, said in a tweet earlier this month. “Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
A spokesperson has said that Biden first learned of his cancer diagnosis in mid-May and that he was never previously diagnosed with prostate cancer. He did not undergo prostate cancer screening during his last medical checkup while in office, which was in February 2024, according to records at the time. His spokesperson said his last known prostate-specific antigen test, which is used to screen for prostate cancer, was in 2014. The screening is not generally recommended for men past the age of 70.
Caroline Linton and
contributed to this report.