Former U.S. President Joe Biden, appearing with a bandage on his head, addressed the Nebraska Democratic Party’s Ben Nelson Gala on Friday, November 8, where he paid tribute to his late son, Beau Biden, and issued pointed criticisms of President Donald Trump.
Speaking to party members, Biden reflected emotionally on Beau’s death from brain cancer in 2015, linking the personal tragedy to a broader message about healthcare and cancer research.
“When the love of my life, my oldest son, the attorney general of the state of Delaware – who should’ve been the president, not me – volunteered to go to Iraq for a year, he came back with stage four glioblastoma because he lived in a burn pit,” Biden said.
The 46th President, who recently disclosed his own battle with stage four prostate cancer, emphasized the importance of continued medical research and criticized what he described as cuts to healthcare funding under the current administration.
“Trump and his Republican friends are cutting government funding for health care, making it more expensive,” he claimed, adding, “Cancer hits every family. It’s hit my family hard.”
Biden, who turns 83 later this month, appeared with a fresh bandage on the top-left portion of his head — the reason for which remains unclear. In August, he had undergone Mohs surgery for skin cancer, previously appearing in public with a similar bandage following the procedure.
His speech later turned fiery as he denounced the ongoing government shutdown, blaming Trump for worsening food insecurity among Americans.
“We have a president who is deliberately making hunger worse for Americans. In the United States of America, one in five children go to bed hungry every night!” Biden said passionately as the audience responded with boos. “No, it’s more than ‘boo’ — it’s a disgrace!”
He concluded on a hopeful note, hailing recent Democratic victories across multiple states including Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
“The Democratic Party is back — not hyperbole,” Biden declared. “Voters are sending a message to Trump and to his crowd.”
