Biden to publish memoir 'Promise Me, America' on 17 November, says cancer treatment 'going really well'

Former President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that his presidential memoir, 'Promise Me, America', will be published on 17 November 2026. In a video posted to social media, the 83-year-old also shared a personal health update, saying his treatment for aggressive prostate cancer is progressing well.

The announcement and health update

Biden revealed in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. In the new video, he addressed the diagnosis directly. "I've been spending a lot of time with my family. I've been dealing with a cancer diagnosis and I've been getting treatment, and it's been going really well," he said. The former president, who will turn 84 three days after the book's release, has kept a mostly low profile since leaving office in January 2025.

I've been spending a lot of time with my family. I've been dealing with a cancer diagnosis and I've been getting treatment, and it's been going really well.

What the book covers

'Promise Me, America' will recount the defining moments of Biden's four years in the White House. The publisher, Little, Brown and Company, described it as "the story of four groundbreaking years: his campaign, his presidency, his decision to run again -- and to step aside." Biden himself said the book is about "the challenges we faced as a nation, the decisions I made, and why I made them." Among the topics he will address are the economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, the 6 January 2021 assault on the Capitol, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine that began in February 2022, and conflicts in the Middle East.

It's about the challenges we faced as a nation, the decisions I made, and why I made them.

The 2024 withdrawal

One of the most anticipated sections will be Biden's explanation of why he initially sought re-election and then, in July 2024, stepped aside in favour of Vice President Kamala Harris. The decision followed months of Democratic anxiety over his age and a disastrous debate performance. Biden's withdrawal came three months before the election, which Harris lost to Donald Trump. The memoir is expected to offer his most detailed account yet of those internal deliberations.

Political timing

Little, Brown and Company set the release for 17 November, two weeks after the 2026 midterm elections. The timing has already drawn attention within the Democratic Party. Some party figures, according to The Washington Post, want the campaign to focus on Trump's record and fear that Biden's book could revive the divisions that surfaced during the 2024 nomination crisis. Former First Lady Jill Biden released her own memoir last month, which also revisited the 2024 debate and withdrawal, drawing criticism from Democrats who felt it distracted from the party's forward-looking message.

Personal echoes and promotion

The title 'Promise Me, America' echoes Biden's 2017 memoir 'Promise Me, Dad', which centred on the death of his son Beau. Biden has also written 'Promises to Keep', a campaign book from his 2008 presidential run. The former president plans a promotional tour with interviews and events. Pre-orders for the book are already available.