Hunter Biden says Democrats’ disloyalty to his father cost them presidency

In his first interview since the 2024 election, Hunter Biden cited Democrats’ disloyalty to former President Joe Biden as the reason the party lost the presidency to Donald Trump. He also disputed accusations that White House aides tried to cover up issues with his father’s health. The remarks come in a newly-released excerpt from former Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison’s new podcast, “At Our Table.”

What did Hunter Biden say?

“We lost the election because we did not remain loyal to the leader of the party,” Hunter Biden said in an excerpt obtained by The Washington Post and The Hill. “That’s my position. We had the advantage of incumbency, we had the advantage of an incredibly successful administration and the Democratic Party literally melted down.”

The comments are part of an in-depth interview conducted with the former president’s son as part of Harrison’s podcast, which will debut Thursday, July 17. The first episode will include Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn.; Hunter Biden will be included in the following episode.

Hunter Biden’s defense of his father

Hunter Biden has long defended his father. The former president has been just as strong a defender of his son, granting Hunter Biden a pardon after he was convicted on gun-related charges in Delaware and pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges in California.

Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in the middle of the year after his performance in a debate sparked concern among Democrats about his ability to serve a second term. Former Vice President Kamala Harris took over as the party’s nominee and won the backing of the former president before her loss to Trump in November.

Denies father’s health decline was covered up

Much has been written about the 2024 campaign and the former president’s decision to drop out, including the book “Original Sin,” by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, which alleges efforts by Biden’s allies to cover up his faltering health.

However, Hunter Biden disputed the book’s accusations during his interview with Harrison. He pointed out that despite his father’s interactions with many people behind the scenes, the authors failed to get sources “to go on the record” describing health problems they saw firsthand.

Hunter Biden also denied reports that he played a significant behind-the-scenes role in his father’s presidency. He asserted that he “stayed as far away as I possibly could – which, by the way, broke my heart.”