HEALTHJ.D. Vance Shocked to Learn Joe Biden Underwent 2 Life-Saving Brain Surgeries Decades Ago: 'Wow'
J.D. Vance admitted he had no idea former President Joe Biden underwent two brain surgeries to treat an aneurysm over 40 years ago.
July 17 2026, Published 10:45 a.m. ET
Vice President J.D. Vance expressed complete shock when he learned that former President Joe Biden had undergone two brain surgeries earlier in his life.
During a rambling three-hour interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Vance openly admitted he had no prior knowledge of these medical procedures.
Vance appeared on the podcast and recalled freezing while watching the now-infamous 2024 presidential debate, during which Biden seemed confused and unwell, eventually leading to him dropping out of the presidential race.
'How Did I Not Know This?'
J.D. Vance had no idea Joe Biden suffered from a brain aneurysm and two sub-sequential surgeries.
Rogan brought up the former president’s medical history, which included brain surgeries in 1988.
“Wait, Biden had two brain surgeries? How did I not know this? Wow,” exclaimed Vance.
“How’d you not know about that? That’s nuts. I knew about that,” Rogan said.
“Well, it speaks to how constrained our media environment is that I never heard that,” Vance replied, even though media widely reported about it recently following the release of Biden's wife's memoir, View From the East Wing.
Inside Joe Biden's Health Scare
Joe Biden was just 45 when he underwent brain surgery.
Vance crassly joked about asking for a refund, while Rogan clarified the surgeries successfully kept Biden alive.
Biden required the surgeries to treat two life-threatening brain aneurysms that nearly ended his political career. At the time, the future POTUS was a 45-year-old U.S. Senator representing Delaware.
In February 1988, following months of severe headaches and neck pain, Biden collapsed in a hotel room. He passed out and remained unconscious for over four hours.
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Joe Biden Was Read His Last Rites
The former POTUS had a 50-50 chance of survival.
Doctors discovered a leaking intracranial "berry" aneurysm, which was causing blood to pool in his brain. The situation was so dire that a priest was called to administer his last rites.
Dr. Neal Kassell performed a high-risk microvascular clipping procedure to stop the bleeding on the left side of Biden's brain. The former first lady later wrote that doctors gave him only a 50-50 chance of survival, with a high risk of permanent brain or speech damage.
While recovering from the first operation, doctors identified a second, unruptured "mirror" aneurysm on the right side of his brain. A second 4.5-hour surgery was performed to clip it before it could burst.
Joe Biden was diagnosed with stage four cancer in May 2025.
During his initial recovery, Biden suffered a serious complication when a blood clot traveled to his lungs. The operations caused a temporary facial droop and physical symptoms similar to a stroke.
The entire health crisis and subsequent rehabilitation kept Biden away from his duties in the U.S. Senate for seven months.
The surgeries left permanent metallic clips in his brain. Subsequent screenings, including a CT angiogram in 2014, confirmed that no aneurysms ever recurred.
The 83-year-old 46th President of the United States is currently battling an aggressive, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer that has metastasized to his bones. The cancer was discovered in May 2025 after he sought medical care for urinary symptoms.
