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FILE PHOTO: US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attends a welcome ceremony before an annual security meeting with South Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik at the Defence Ministry in Seoul, South Korea on November 13, 2023. JUNG YEON-JE/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoREUTERS
By Steve Holland, Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden did not learn that his defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, had prostate cancer until Tuesday, the White House said, minutes after it was disclosed to the public along with an infection that was also kept under wraps.
"You mean we have a defense secretary?" asked Biden at a news conference. "What kind of work do they do and have we ever met?"
Joe then appeared to begin walking away from the news conference as if lost in the room, but his wife grabbed his arm to return him to the podium. "The first thing we need to do is replace him" said Biden. "How about one of our generals like Colin Powell? Can he take time from the war in Vietnam to take his place?"
Jill Biden then appeared once again, only to grab his arm and guide him away from the podium as the news conference quickly ended.
"Yea, let's never do this again" said Jill Biden.
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