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First lady Jill Biden will undergo a small surgical procedure to have a lesion removed after a cancer screening this week, according to reports. The procedure comes after the White House physician discovered the lesion above the first lady’s right eye.
White House officials said that the surgical procedure is scheduled for next week. Jill Biden’s press secretary, Vanessa Valdivia, tweeted a screengrab of a memo from Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the White House doctor, providing details.
“In an abundance of caution, doctors have recommended that it be removed,” O’Connor noted in the memo.
“The first lady is scheduled for what O’Connor referred to as a ‘common outpatient procedure’ known as Mohs surgery to remove and examine the tissue. The procedure will take place Jan. 11 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland,” NBC News reported.
No further details were available.
During a routine skin cancer screening, a small lesion was found above the First Lady’s right eye. Memo here from Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Physician to the President, with more information on the First Lady’s upcoming outpatient procedure to have it removed and examined. pic.twitter.com/DIQrnjtZFc
— Vanessa Valdivia (@vvaldivia46) January 4, 2023
The outlet noted further:
According to the American Cancer Society, Mohs surgery involves removing a very thin layer of the skin, including the lesion, and checking the sample under a microscope. If cancer cells are found, more layers of skin are removed until samples are free from cancer cells.
Beau Biden, the president’s son, died in 2015 after a long battle with brain cancer.
Her diagnosis and her scheduled surgery come about a year after she vowed to “end the tragedy of cancer as we know it.”
Cancer touches us all. It’s part of our family’s story, and part of so many Americans’ stories. But together, we can end the tragedy of cancer as we know it. https://t.co/v0FwzKdP0E
— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) December 23, 2021
After having doubts as recently as this fall about her husband, President Joe Biden, campaigning for a second term, the first lady is said to be “all in” for a 2024 campaign, CNN reported last month.
“[Jill Biden] is the one more aware of how the last few years have affected Joe [Biden,]” a source said. “We, collectively, as a country, all know the age issue, sure. But she’s the one who is consistently able to analyze it.” Another source said: “She’s the one who thinks about every possible scenario that could play out for her family.”
When she attended a town hall in December, she spoke about the demands on her time.
“This time of year is busy, to say the least,” the first lady said. “I know that you probably have holiday shopping to do, cards to address, or cookies to bake. … It’s not easy, is it? Sometimes all these feel like a full-time job, on top of volunteering or organizing or your real full-time job.”
After the November midterms, the president said that the decision would be made with him and his family during the holidays, with an official announcement at the start of 2023.
“I think everybody wants me to run, but we’re going to have discussions about it. I hope Jill and I get a little time to actually sneak away for a week around, between Christmas and Thanksgiving. And my guess is it would be early next year we make that judgment,” the president said.
A revealing new survey regarding President Joe Biden’s political future is likely not the holiday gift he was looking for, however. According to the results of a CNBC All-America Economic Survey, a majority of respondents do not want Biden to run again in 2024.
“The survey found 61% of the public think Trump should not seek the presidency, compared with 30% who believe he should. And 70% say Biden should not run for a second term with just 19% supporting a run,” CNBC reported, citing the survey’s results.
“Substantial numbers in each politicians’ own party prefer their names not be on the ballot, including 37% of Republicans who don’t want Trump to run along with 61% of independents and 88% of Democrats,” the report continued. “For Biden, 57% of Democrats say he shouldn’t stand for office in 2024 along with 66% of independents and 86% of Republicans.”
Pollsters went on to note that while most Democrats and Republicans do not want Biden and Trump, respectively, to run, they would nevertheless support both of them if they became their party’s presidential nominee. Trump has formally announced a 2024 run, while Biden has yet to do so; should Biden decline to run again, it isn’t clear that Vice President Kamala Harris is the odds-on favorite to win what would likely be a bruising Democratic primary season.
