Biden 'optimistic' about his cancer, thinks he can 'beat this'

Nearly two weeks after revealing his prostate cancer diagnosis, former US president Joe Biden said on Friday that he's optimistic about his recovery.

"All the folks are very optimistic," Biden told reporters on the sidelines of a public appearance in his home state of Delaware. He confirmed that he had begun treatment.

"My expectation is that we're going to be able to beat this," the 82-year-old said about his illness.

Biden mentioned that he is currently taking "a pill" but did not provide further details about his treatment.

His office had announced the diagnosis on May 18, stating that it was a more aggressive and advanced, but treatable, form of the disease.

Biden left office in January as the oldest president in US history. He had originally planned to run again for the Democrats in the 2024 election,but during the campaign experienced frequent lapses and a disasterous performance against Republican Donald Trump in a debate. That raised increasing doubts about his physical and mental fitness.

The debate over his condition eventually led Biden to withdraw from the race. Instead, his vice president, Kamala Harris, ran for office but lost the election to Trump.