Hunter Biden has been dealing with relentless criticism from the right, and now finds himself in the midst of a frenzied media campaign. This includes trolling on Twitter, writing on Substack, and featuring on various far-right podcasts hosted by figures like Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson, and Candace Owens. There’s speculation about whether he’s seeking a profitable podcast contract or making a final effort to defend his reputation while his father, Joe Biden, fights cancer.
The latest episode of Biden’s unrestrained media tour led him to an interview with Bill Maher on HBO’s “Real Time” on Friday night, which began with a lively exchange.
“Your obituary, the third word will be ‘laptop.’ I know everything about the laptop — more things than I want to know. I’ve seen you with your dick out. I’ve seen you with a crack pipe in your mouth. My question: Are you running for president?” Maher humorously initiated the conversation.
“I’m here to announce…,” Biden quipped, quickly following with, “No, I haven’t [thought of it]. Here’s my thing: If I announce for president then someone should check to see if I’ve relapsed.”
During their discussion, Biden, though appearing anxious, was well-prepared. He spoke about his seven years of sobriety, explaining his public presence as a means to reach out to “50 million Americans that are still sick and suffering every day from addiction, and I get to go out there and I get to speak to them.”
Maher, on the other hand, approached Biden gently, remarking, “I think I would say to you what I said to Charlie Sheen: You did some bad things, but I don’t think you’re a bad guy.” (Charlie Sheen had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting his ex, among other issues.)
Biden admitted to his “privilege” and contended that the earnings he made while his father served as vice president were minimal compared to the fortunes amassed by the Trump children during their father’s presidency.
“To put it in perspective: In the last 500 days of this administration, Don Jr.’s company has taken in $3.4 billion in Department of Defense contracts. He got a $640 million loan pushed through by the White House… and that’s just a fraction of it,” Biden detailed. “Forget about what they’ve done with cryptocurrency, which is a bank where they were able to go and launder their money, which is an abomination, and that doesn’t even include what Jared is doing and Ivanka is doing. He gets paid $100 million in fees by the Saudis alone for a $6.5 billion fund that he controls that’s all Gulf State money, and he’s our unelected, unappointed emissary to the Middle East for a war that nobody asked for.”
Regarding his father, Joe, who is battling Stage 4 prostate cancer, Biden expressed regret, saying he apologizes to him “every day” for his past errors, acknowledging, “it’s one of the greatest heartaches of my life,” and added, “I can never make up for that.”
