President Joe Biden left people confused when he said he “has” cancer, but the White House has cleared up what he meant, revealing he had treatment for skin cancer last year.
While delivering a speech in Delaware about global warming and the oil industry, Biden remembered how oil emissions from a refinery near where he grew up in Claymont, Delaware, meant they’d have to use their windscreen wipers to remove an oil slick on their car window.
During his speech delivered at the Brayton Power Station, he explained: “That’s why I and so damn many other people I grew up with have cancer and why for the longest time Delaware had the highest cancer rate in the nation.”
But, the New York Post reports that when they pressed the White House on whether Biden currently has cancer, the press team pointed them toward a tweet by Washington Post's fact check writer, Glenn Kessler, who explained that Biden was treated for skin cancer last year.
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Kessler wrote: “Check out Biden's medical report. Before he became president, he'd had non-melanoma skin cancers removed.”
He also attached the medical report in question which revealed the president was treated with liquid nitrogen cryotherapy to treat areas of change and also had non-melanoma skin cancer removed before taking office.
\u201cHow dumb is this tweet? Check out Biden's medical report. Before he became president, he'd had non-melanoma skin cancers removed. Has no one at @RNCResearch ever had this common procedure? https://t.co/TS9VWtKcYC\u201d— Glenn Kessler (@Glenn Kessler) 1658344072
But, despite the explanation, people were still confused as to why Biden used the present tense to say he “has” rather than had cancer.
One person replied: “Do you not know what “have cancer” implies?”
\u201c@GlennKesslerWP @RNCResearch Do you not know what \u201chave cancer\u201d implies?\u201d— Glenn Kessler (@Glenn Kessler) 1658344072
It is known that exposure to pollutants can cause the worsening of skin cancer, but Biden’s claim that oil slick and growing up near a refinery caused cancer rates to rise is unconfirmed.
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