Hunter Biden recently shared that his father, President Biden, likely wouldn’t have granted a pardon to Donald Trump if Trump hadn’t won the 2024 election.
During an interview with Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher, Hunter discussed the wave of federal indictments targeting Trump’s political rivals.
“Honestly, as I mentioned before, my dad wouldn’t have pardoned me had Trump not won,” Hunter explained, noting that he doubted he could trust the typical appeals process under Trump’s administration.
“…Trump changed everything,” he noted emphatically. “It altered everything. I don’t think we need to debate why.”
Hunter also expressed an awareness of his privileged position, reflecting on how “fortunate” he feels. Nonetheless, he remarked that Trump’s “campaign of revenge and fixation on my father” isn’t finished yet.
“I think I was the most straightforward target for him to try to intimidate and silence, not just me, but my family, in a way that wasn’t necessarily difficult for him,” Hunter stated. “I feel forgiven.”
President Biden pardoned Hunter in December 2024, shortly after Trump’s election victory.
Hunter faced a federal conviction in 2018 for three felonies linked to gun possession and lying about drug use. He managed to avoid trial by pleading guilty to nine tax-related charges in September 2024.
“No reasonable person reviewing the particulars of Mr. Hunter’s situation can conclude anything other than he was targeted simply because he is my son, which is unjust,” President Biden said in a statement.
Trump criticized the pardon on his social platform, calling it an “abuse and misuse of justice.”
Some Democrats echoed disapproval, with Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) branding it “unwise,” while Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) deemed it inappropriate. Additionally, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) remarked that the decision prioritized personal interests over duty, further damaging public trust in the justice system’s fairness.
