Hunter Biden questioned his lifelong affiliation with the Democratic Party, expressed frustration with those who urged his father to abandon his reelection campaign and criticized illegal immigration for “draining us of resources” in a podcast interview.
The former first son also admitted to being $15 million in debt and described his father’s pullout from Afghanistan in 2021 as a failure. He criticized CNN anchor Jake Tapper and actor George Clooney for their roles in his father’s quitting the 2024 presidential race.
“I don’t even know if I’m a Democrat anymore,” he said during a discussion on the Shawn Ryan podcast, released Monday.
In a five-hour interview, Hunter Biden said, “We need a vibrant immigration, but we don’t want immigrants that are coming here illegally draining us of resources and being prioritized above people that are literal heroes, that are still recovering from 20 years of endless war, or anybody else in our society.”
As a defining issue in the 2024 presidential election, President Trump took immigration by the reins to curb border crossings and denounce President Biden’s asylum policies.
Critics say President Biden’s policies weakened border enforcement and complicated the administration’s control of irregular migration. Annual net migration averaged 2.4 million people between 2021 and 2023, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Mr. Trump’s supporters have praised him for his mass deportation policy and significantly stricter border enforcement. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that nationwide crossings in November were down 92% from the peak of the Biden administration.
The former president’s son defended his father’s immigration policies, saying that the Biden administration secured bipartisan legislation to tackle the issue before Mr. Trump got involved.
“And then Donald Trump stepped in six months before the election, and told [Republicans] that he was gonna primary every single one of them that voted for that, because we’re addicted to the problem,” Hunter Biden said.
In a July interview with YouTuber Andrew Callaghan, he attacked the current president’s immigration policies, frustrated that Mr. Trump had “somehow convinced all of us that these people are the f——— criminals?”
“How do you think your hotel room gets cleaned? How do you think you have food on your f——— table? Who do you think washes your dishes? Who do you think does your f——— garden?” Hunter Biden said.
He also scolded Democrats for not responding more effectively.
“All these Democrats say, ’You have to talk about and realize that people are really upset about illegal immigration,’” he said.
In “The Shawn Ryan Show,” he said, “I get so angry, and I find that the things that I get angry about are from the perspective of a son.”
He said that “nobody’s riding to the rescue for Hunter Biden.”
Before his father left office, Hunter Biden was given a presidential pardon for any crimes he may have committed from Jan. 1, 2014, through Dec. 1, 2024.
When promoting the podcast episode on social media, Mr. Ryan asked that people watch the full episode before casting judgment.
“I’ve said it before — I’m open to hearing from all sides. I don’t agree with everything Hunter says, and he doesn’t agree with everything I say either, but that’s not the point,” he said. “These conversations matter.”
• Mary McCue Bell can be reached at mbell@washingtontimes.com.
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