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Headline Roundup July 20th, 2022

Media Reacts to Biden Saying He Has Cancer

Summary from the AllSides News Team

Media outlets and political analysts were quick to jump at President Joe Biden's supposed revelation that he's been diagnosed with cancer.

During a climate speech in Massachusetts on Wednesday, the president highlighted how Deleware had the highest cancer rate in the country due to its fossil fuel consumption. "That’s why I and so damn many other people I grew up [with] have cancer," Biden said. This statement quickly spurred a plethora of social media reactions — including a viral tweet from the RNC Research Twitter account that read, "Did Joe Biden just announce he has cancer?"

The White House later clarified that the president was referring to the non-melanoma skin cancers that he had removed before taking office. Biden's history with non-melanoma skin cancer was highlighted in a health assessment that was publicly released in Nov. 2021.

Left-rated outlets were more likely to highlight how Biden has a "clean bill of health" and that his statement was "misconstrued," accentuating voices who critiqued RNC Research for its "dumb" tweet. Right-rated outlets noted that RNC Research was "simply highlighting Biden’s exact words" and that Biden "mistakenly used the present tense."

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Biden’s Cancer Remark Referred to Past, White House Says
Biden’s Cancer Remark Referred to Past, White House Says

M. Scott Brauer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

News

Democrat President Joe Biden appeared to claim during remarks about climate change on Wednesday afternoon that he has cancer.

Speaking in Somerset, Massachusetts, about what he wants to do about the climate and creating energy jobs, Biden talked about his childhood and oil pollution growing up in Delaware.

“Five years ago, this towering power plant that once stood with cooling towers 500 feet high closed down,” Biden said. “The coal plant at Brayton Point was the largest of its kind in New England. 1,500 megawatts of power, enough to power one in five...

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Here's Why President Biden Just Said He's Been Affected by Cancer
Here's Why President Biden Just Said He's Been Affected by Cancer

AL DRAGO/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY

Analysis

The White House is clarifying that President Joe Biden has a clean bill of health after he phrased his past experiences with skin cancer treatments as though he currently has cancer in his recent speech about climate and clean energy.

PEOPLE confirmed with the White House that the president was not announcing that he was diagnosed with cancer in his speech on Wednesday, pointing the outlet to a tweet explaining that Biden meant he'd been personally affected by cancer, as he had non-melanoma skin cancers removed before he was sworn in as president.

"How...

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Does Joe Biden Have Cancer? President's History With Melanoma Explained
Does Joe Biden Have Cancer? President's History With Melanoma Explained

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Analysis

During a speech on Wednesday, President Joe Biden seemingly said he's had cancer. The comment, which was slightly muffled in footage, quickly resulted in a debate about the president's health.

"That's why I—and so damn many other people I grew up with—have cancer," Biden said while discussing the environmental issues Delaware faced when he grew up there. The remarks were made during a speech in Somerset, Massachusetts, in which Biden talked about climate change and the job potential that could be created by investing in clean energy.

RNC Research, a Twitter account managed by the...

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