Hunter Biden blames his father's poor 2024 debate performance on sleeping pill

[TheProle]

Hunter Biden blamed the sleeping pill Ambien for then-President Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last year.

The younger Biden made the remarks in an expletive-laden interview on YouTube's "Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan" that was released Monday, the first anniversary of his father's decision to drop out of the presidential race.

"I know exactly what happened in that debate. He flew around the world, basically mileage that he could have flown around the world three times, he’s 81 years old, he’s tired as s---, they give him Ambien to be able to sleep, he’s gets up on the stage and he looks like he’s a deer in the headlights," Hunter Biden said in the interview.

"And it feeds into every f---ing story that anybody wants to tell."

The former president's office declined to comment.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/hunter-biden-blames-joe-bidens-poor-2024-debate-performance-sleeping-p-rcna220057

[CTyankee]

1. This is so sad. I hold his family in my heart today...

[tritsofme]

2. Hunter should stay out of the media. Biden must have better surrogates.

Almost anyone.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

6. Right? n/t

[democratsruletheday]

46. this is exactly what I was going to post....

I can now see why the Repukes went after Hunter. He's a whiny weakling frankly.

[Silent Type]

3. Definitely worn out. But gave him Ambien before debate, or he was still feeling it 20 hours later?

Not much of an explanation. Doesn’t really matter now.

[Tree Lady]

9. I seem to have a memory

That Joe was fighting a cold. I could be wrong. My memory not what it used to be lol.

[Ms. Toad]

19. I take ambien -

It has virtually no side effects for me. I don't get the sleepwalking/driving/etc. which many do. I don't have the "hangover" I get with other sleep aids.

But what I do get is an occasional inability to recall the correct words the next day, or string words together fluently. I wouldn't take it before a major stage appearance..

So - yes, he could have been still feeling it 20 hours later, and given the side effects that many have - it could have accounted for a lot of what we saw.

(I have no idea whether he actually took it or not - but I do have relevant experience as to side effects.)

[Passages]

4. Who is supposed to benefit from this?

[writerJT]

18. Just himself. Surprise...

[badhair77]

5. Hunter needs to take a seat for awhile.

I don’t think he’s helping his father’s cause now.

[W_HAMILTON]

10. Fuck that. At least someone is defending the guy.

We could have used more of that before the election -- and we certainly could use more of it from here on out, rather than the circular firing squads that many on the left love to engage in.

[greatlaurel]

24. You are correct.

Thank you so very much for saying this. I am so sick of people attacking Joe Biden and Hunter Biden. Hunter is very brave for speaking out. Wish he had not been muzzled all these years. The man has seen some things and survived more.

I am glad he is sticking up for his dad when few are. His dad was there for him and he is now standing with his dad. Good on him.

[crimycarny]

27. EXACTLY!!!

Yes, spot on! Before all of the Hunter Biden smearing by the media, I had read Hunter Biden's book about his addiction and was very impressed by his honesty. So all the "smears" I already knew about because Hunter Biden wrote about them in his book! Including the prostitutes.

One part of the book in particular that really got to me (I cried when I read it) was when Hunter describes an "intervention" that Jill and Joe tried to stage to get Hunter back into rehab. The ruse was a family dinner but as soon as Hunter walked in he saw two counselors from a rehab he'd been to previously. He said he look up at his dad and saw the fear in his eyes. Hunter got angry and walked out, his father (Joe) ran after him saying: "Hunter, I don't know what to do! Tell me what to do!". He said his father just looked terrified and hugged him, crying and asking him (Hunter) how he could help him.

I'm so sick of the circular firing squad, and I'm glad Hunter Biden is calling it out.

[themaguffin]

37. He isn't. He's attacking Dems and giving the GOP meat while the GOP is melting down.

[Greg_In_SF]

7. Flying around the world?

His own aides already confirmed that he was at Camp David doing debate prep for many days. Oh Hunter.

[crimycarny]

30. He wasn't just "flying around the world" as if on vacation

He was attending the G7 Summit and then the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Thirteen days before the debate last year, Biden returned from a trip to Italy for the Group of Seven (G7) summit on June 14, six days before heading to Camp David. Prior to the G7, the former president had a loaded schedule in France for the 80th commemoration of D-Day.

I challenge anyone half his age to hold that same schedule, with all the responsibility it entails.

[Greg_In_SF]

40. I never said he was on vacation

My point is blaming that disaster of a debate on travel that occurred two weeks prior is total BS.

Our guy just had a bad night and it's time to stop making excuses for it.

[crimycarny]

44. Explaining external circumstances is not the same as excused

Joe Biden himself said he had a bad night. Hunter said in the interview that his dad looked like a "deer in the headlights." Doesn't sound like excuses to me. Sounds like acknowledgment that the debate was bad, and that--looking back--maybe scheduling it right after that sort of schedule wasn't the smartest move.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. He spent from Saturday to that Thursday morning at Camp David (same time zone as Atlanta debate)

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/05/biden-sick-debate-camp-david-00166624

The Saturday before that, he had been on the US west coast: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/16/biden-fundraiser-george-clooney-julia-roberts-obama

He had flown there from Italy (9 hour time difference), which is a fair amount, but he had 12 days to get over it. And going back to the east coast removed 3 hours of the difference.

[Celerity]

26. Thank you for this reply.

[Maru Kitteh]

12. Shutthefuckup Hunter. You're NOT HELPING.

You can’t undo the unfortunate choices you made long ago and this is NOT how you should be trying to soothe the regret you feel, anyway. You are NOT HELPING here.

[John1956PA]

15. Yes. Also, Hunter's driving his father's 1960s Corvette the day after the plea agreement did not help.

[tintinvotes]

35. Neither are you

Hunter is free to speak about anything he wants, just like you. Good for him defending his father, something a lot of DU'ers didn't do, which led to the mess we are in. I hope he keeps speaking.

[Srkdqltr]

13. The more explaining, the worse it gets. Just stop talking.

[crimycarny]

14. Watch the entire interview with Hunter--don't judge on headline or summary

That is a misleading headline. Hunter didn't "blame Biden's performance on Ambien". He mentioned several factors, including his dad basically traveling the world 3 times over in less than a week. His mention of the Ambien was more of an aside, not the main reason. Haven't we learned yet that the media will take things out of context to sensationalize??

I was very impressed with Hunter's interview. It's almost 3 hours long, and Hunter talks about so many topics. His addiction, the impact of Beau's death, his love and admiration for his dad...so many topics. Yet "Hunter blames Biden's debate on Ambien" is all the media reports on. And that is very much out of context if you watch his entire response. The entire response about his dad's debate starts at about 2:24:00. If you watch this in context, Hunter's response was nothing but a full-throated defense of his father.

?si=0RIALm5bqhqy7t5e

Here is an example of the comments on the interview:

1. As a conservative, watching this interview was one of the healthiest things I have done on YouTube in a long time. Humanizing Hunter as a son, brother, and father helps me realize that I must not judge people without knowing them. My right leaning news sources can polute my mind as well as far left leaning media outlets. I've now recognized that I had a blind spot.

2. There's a lot of honesty here. As an addict myself, it's easy to see when someone is just saying the things you want to hear. I don't think that's the case here at all. The way he keeps saying "I'm not unique", it seems like he really understands it and means it. Amazing interview.

3. Well Im not a hater anymore. Sucks I fell for it. Mad props to Hunter for doing this on Channel 5 and nowhere else. Dude seems like a real one.

[BannonsLiver]

16. I empathize with his outrage but he's the wrong vessel for that, in my view.

He has had some self-owns that didn't do his father any favors.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

22. That's where I am as well

I don't begrudge the guy defending his father - any son who is close to his father would do the same. But he and his antics were an albatross around his dad for his entire term in office.

[writerJT]

17. This guy needs to go away.

[synni]

20. The horrors of Ambien have been known for decades

Only a fool of a doctor prescribes it...especially for an elderly person.

More importantly--if someone is having an adverse reaction, why would you not reschedule the debate for medical reasons?

[crimycarny]

21. That is NOT what Hunter said

I urge those taking the article and its headline at face value to please listen to the entire interview in context.

Start watching about 2:20:00 to get the entire context (debate comes in around 2:24:00)

?si=heJbW2HN7ALlIoSk

[SickOfTheOnePct]

23. Had Ambien been the cause...

...and I don't think that in the full context of the interview Hunter made that claim, it would have been disastrous to ask for a delay due to medical reasons. Media of all stripes (right more than left, obviously) were discussing whether or not President Biden was too old or healthy enough for a second term.

To postpone the debate due to health reasons would have ended his candidacy even sooner, IMO.

[fujiyamasan]

28. Well partly he said it himself

His dad was 81, running for president, and may have had sleep issues due to travel.

That’s understandable… Hunter is his son, and he’s welcome to defend his dad in any forum he wants.

But that doesn’t explain a lot of Biden’s other comments forgetting people or places. The problem is the debate wasn’t just an isolated incident. It also reinforced the public’s preconceptions about his age, which was a prevailing concern for voters for a while.

The reality is he was in no shape to run again and wasn’t for months (maybe even over a year or longer) even before the debate. Age catches up to everyone very differently.

[crimycarny]

31. Joe Biden has always been a gaffe machine

Seriously, I'm surprised at those slamming Joe Biden when he stood up there and held a press conference for hours after his "disastrous" debate. He answered questions for over an hour from the Press and did it flawlessly until he introduced Zelensky as "President Putin"-- immediately correcting himself--but that's all the press reported on.

It's like me calling one of my kids by the wrong name. I didn't "forget" their name, I simply used the wrong one and immediately corrected myself--we all do that.

Should Joe Biden have run for a second term? No. Was Joe Biden getting older? Yes. Was Joe Biden suffering from dementia? NO. If so, he wouldn't be able to do what he is doing now, showing up in public, doing interviews (coherently). He'd have gone way downhill by now if he had dementia, and he hasn't.

[Katinfl]

33. Sure age catches up to everyone differently.

So explain to me why trump gets a free pass with the media when he cannot even put a sentence together? So many issues caught up to Biden with that debate, but cognitive issues were not one of them. Biden at his absolute worst is better than trump on his best day.

[Mysterian]

34. Because right-wing billionaires own our mass media?

Just a guess!

[crimycarny]

45. Exactly--I think we're pointing fingers at the wrong person (people)

The GOP managed to get a complete idiot like Trump re-elected, even after some far more disastrous appearances than the Joe Biden's performance at the debate. Like standing on stage for 30 minutes dancing to Ava Maria (twice), then YMCA, swaying bizarrely and not saying a word for 30 minutes. Imagine if Joe Biden had done that?

But the GOP got him elected, and the Democrats couldn't get a far more qualified candidate elected.

If debates were so important, then why didn't Kamala win after she creamed Trump at their debate?

I'll tell you why: the Democrats' circular firing squad. Same circular firing squad that lost us a Senate seat (Senator Al Franken), helped lose the 2016 election (infighting over Bernie versus Hillary), and lost the 2024 election.

I will always be a Democrat, and I don't mean my post to seem like I'm "bashing" Democrats as a whole. But, come on, the Democrats have a long history of shooting themselves in the foot. I hope someone steps up and changes that.

[ms liberty]

29. I agree with Hunter and furthermore, he has every right to say whatever tf he wants

About anything. The RWNJ's used his life as fodder for their hate mongering, and it should never have even been a subject in the first place. He knows his dad better than anyone and if he wants to talk, let him. It's time to point out to any Repukes that Hunter never had an office in Joe's WH.

[crimycarny]

32. Yes! This!

It's GD time someone has the balls to fight back. I'm so sick and tired of the acceptance of the media's spin. It's so refreshing to see Hunter finally take on the lies with no f*ks to give.

[BlueTsunami2018]

36. I'm glad Hunter is speaking out finally.

He’s pissed and he has every right to be.

[themaguffin]

38. Hunter needs to shut the fuck up.

[badhair77]

39. I'm all for Hunter defending his father, and I love Joe.

That’s why I said Hunter should hold off for “awhile.” But now with every future interview Joe will be bombarded with questions about his son’s f bomb laden interview. He could have stated his thoughts more thoughtfully, as opposed to “fuck insert a name here.” I think it will distract from everything else Joe will have to say.

[LudwigPastorius]

41. "...he's 81 years old, he's tired as shit..."

That particular defense of your dad's debate performance doesn't help like you think it does.

[Xolodno]

42. He's not helping.

Instead he is giving quotes for the GOP to use. And his father is not going to run again, nothing to defend, it's over. There were a lot of problems, not just one and cumulated into a bad situation.

Only the GOP wants this to continue as they think they can run on it. Don't give them anymore ammo and move on. We need to hit them where it hurts, the issues and Trump.