Biden visits close friend Bob Dole, 97, at home in the Watergate complex and says 'he's doing well' - two days after the GOP grandee announced his lung cancer battle

 President Joe Biden visited 'close friend' Bob Dole and said the former Republican Senator is 'doing well' as he battles cancer on Saturday.

The 97-year-old Dole announced he had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer on Thursday and was visited by the president at his long-time residence in the Watergate complex on Saturday afternoon.

Dole, who served in the Senate with Biden for more than two decades, was described by the White House as a 'close friend' of the president. 

'He´s doing well,' Biden said of Dole as he left Holy Trinity Catholic Church later Saturday evening.

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President Joe Biden gestures as he walks to a motorcade vehicle after attending Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Saturday

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President Joe Biden's motorcade departs the Watergate complex after Biden made a stop to visit with former Sen. Bob Dole, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, in Washington

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Biden arrives for Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church on February 20 after visiting Bob Dole

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President Joe Biden departs after attending Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington

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US Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole, right, speaks to reporters on July 26, 1995 as then-Senator Joe Biden looks on

Dole said this week he plans to begin undergoing treatment on Monday.

'While I certainly have some hurdles ahead, I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own,' he said in a statement announcing his diagnosis.

Dole, who lives in Foggy Bottom with his wife Elizabeth, is a World War II veteran and 1996 Republican presidential nominee.

He suffered serious wounds in Italy during the war that left him with a long hospitalization and a number of awards. including two Purple Hearts. for his military service.

Dole, a native of Russell, Kansas, represented his state in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1996, rising to the rank of Senate Majority leader.

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Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, right, speaks after being presented with the McGovern-Dole Leadership Award by former Vice President Joe Biden, let, in 2013

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Bob Dole, left, and former Vice President Joe Biden, second left, during the ceremony to dedicate a plaque honoring Bob Dole at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall

But he is likely to be best known both for his presidential campaign in 1996 when he tried to stop Democratic President Bill Clinton from serving a second term.

Dole, known for his quick, searing wit and legislative skills, had unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in 1980 and 1988, and he was President Gerald Ford´s vice presidential running mate in 1976, when Ford lost to Democrat Jimmy Carter.

But Clinton won 379 electoral votes to Dole's 159. Ross Perot, who ran against Clinton and President George H.W. Bush in 1992, was also on the ballot, earning about 8 per cent of the popular vote.

Dole was also the Republicans' vice presidential nominee in 1976, but Democrat Jimmy Carter won that election over President Gerald Ford, as the Republicans were punished at the ballot box over Watergate.

Dole resigned from the Senate in 1996 to focus on his presidential run, but remained politically involved, and campaigned for recognition for the service of the greatest generation.

He co-chaired the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors during President George W. Bush's administration, taking care of veterans from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Dole was a veteran himself and was injured by German gunfire in Italy in April 1945. He spent months recovering.

He raised funds for the National World War II Memorial, which was constructed on the National Mall.

The former senator was also briefly the spokesman for Viagra.

Dole received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1997 from his former political rival, Clinton.

In 2018, he was bestowed the Congressional Gold Medal as well by then President Donald Trump.

Dole was the only ex-GOP nominee to endorse Trump before he won the 2016 election.

Dole traveled to Cleveland to attend the 2016 Republican National Convention, where Trump was nominated by the party.

After leaving, Congress Dole had become a registered lobbyist and lobbied Trump on behalf of Taiwan.

During the 2016 transition, President-elect Trump spoke with Taiwan's president - a departure from past U.S. leaders, as China has pressured the U.S. to not recognize Taiwan's government.

Dole had been working behind-the-scenes for months to make the call happen.

Dole continued to be supportive of Trump through his one term.

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Bob Dole smiles as he gets a kiss from his wife Elizabeth Dole as he is honored with a Congressional Gold Medal

In February, he called Trump's State of the Union address a 'home run.'

In October, he legitimized the president's claims that the Commission on Presidential Debates was biased against Trump.

Dole said the commission was 'supposedly bipartisan' with an equal number of Republicans and Democrats serving on it.

'I know all of the Republicans and most are friends of mine. I am concerned that none of them support President Trump,' Dole tweeted. 'A biased Debate Commission is unfair.'

In December, however, Dole did say the election was over, though noted Trump may never concede.

'It's a pretty bitter pill for Trump, but it’s a fact he lost. It’ll take him a while to accept that,' the 97-year-old said.

Over the past few years, Dole has had health problems and is wheelchair bound, cutting down on the number of public appearances he's made.

He did, however, appear when the casket of the late President George H.W. Bush was lying in state at the U.S. Capitol in December 2018.

With assistance, Dole briefly rose and saluted Bush.

Dole has been married to Elizabeth Dole since 1975, who served in the Nixon, Reagan and Bush 41 administrations and who represented North Carolina in the U.S. Senate from 2003 to 2009.

Since retiring from the Senate she launched the Elizabath Dole Foundation, which assists caregivers of wounded veterans.