Joe Biden Faces a Somber Thanksgiving: Cancer-Stricken Ex-President Spotted in Rare Family Photo

In a poignant snapshot shared just before Thanksgiving, former President Joe Biden was seen smiling beside his wife Jill and daughter Ashley — a fleeting moment of warmth as the 83-year-old battles a life-threatening cancer diagnosis that’s shaken the once-dominant Democratic figure to his core.

The Bidens touched down in Nantucket over the weekend — their decades-long Thanksgiving tradition continuing even amid declining health and dwindling public appearances. In a rare post, Ashley Biden shared a selfie on Instagram showing her father in a black coat, aviator sunglasses, and an American flag lapel pin. Jill sat behind him in a silk scarf and pink headphones, while Ashley leaned forward, her wide grin doing its best to mask the heavy mood surrounding the family.

“Dad wanted to keep the tradition alive,” a family friend told The Boston Globe. “He’s weaker than before, but he’s determined not to miss a single holiday with his family. That’s what gives him strength.”

Gone are the days of Air Force One and motorcades stretching for miles. This year, Biden arrived at Nantucket Memorial Airport on a modest Cape Air flight from Boston — accompanied by Secret Service vehicles but without the pomp and ceremony that once marked his visits as sitting president.

Local news reports noted that this year’s trip didn’t bring the usual heavy security measures that used to lock down the island during the annual Christmas Tree lighting. “It’s more subdued now,” said a resident near Main Street. “People respect what he’s going through.”

Biden was diagnosed in May with what doctors described as an “aggressive form of prostate cancer” that has since metastasized to his bones. It was a devastating blow for the family, coming just weeks after Ashley filed for divorce from her husband of 13 years, Howard Krein.

In October, longtime aide Kelly Scully confirmed, “As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment. He remains optimistic and in good spirits.”

Behind the scenes, however, insiders say Biden spends most days at his Delaware home working quietly with a ghostwriter on what’s described as a “deeply personal memoir” — reflecting on his time in office and his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race amid concerns about his health and cognition.

“He’s confronting his own legacy,” one Democratic strategist told Politico. “He knows history will remember both his presidency and how he left it. He wants to write that story himself.”

While President Trump’s White House continues to dominate headlines with chaos and controversy, Biden’s subdued presence has struck a somber chord across the political spectrum. Even his critics have offered well-wishes. “I don’t agree with him on much,” said one Nantucket resident who voted Republican. “But nobody deserves to go through what he’s going through.”

For now, the Biden family remains together — quietly preparing Thanksgiving dinner in their Nantucket rental home, far from Washington’s noise.

As one family insider put it simply: “They’re not thinking about politics this year. They’re thinking about time — how much they still have left together.”

Source: The Boston Globe, Politico, Ashley Biden via Instagram, local Nantucket media reports (Nov. 2025).