Before President Biden announced his plans to withdraw from the presidential race on Sunday, a senior administration official blasted his eldest son, Hunter Biden, for appearing to play a more prominent role in deciding whether his father would continue campaigning.
Hunter was spotted attending a meeting in the West Wing of the White House earlier this month, and some aides believe he is playing a key role in helping his father deal with his White House fitness concerns.
“He and his son are pretending to be victims. ‘I was abused. [Barack] “President Obama told an anonymous administration official: an official told Politico..
“It’s insanity. He wasn’t abused. But he gets this in his head and once it’s in his head it’s very hard to get out of it.”
Politico sources said many in the White House and Biden administration widely felt somewhat insulated from the president’s inner workings.
Hunter is grateful to his father for helping him through the struggles of cocaine addiction. She praised him for “saving my life.”
Amid all the criticism over Hunter’s overseas business machinations and alleged abuses of power, Biden has sought to defend his son and insisted he is proud of him.
“He’s spent his whole life protecting Hunter, encouraging Hunter to move forward, encouraging Hunter to become the man he wants to be. And finally, Hunter has done just that. He’s moving forward,” the official added.
“And who is he protecting? It’s not a father protecting his son. It’s a son protecting his father. And there’s a bonding moment that none of us can fully understand. Suddenly, a father has what he’s wanted his whole life with his son, and in a strange way, it finally happens.”
Biden announced Sunday that he was formally stepping down amid growing concern among Democrats about whether he could defeat former President Donald Trump.
“Serving as President has been the greatest honor of my life, and while I intended to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and our country for me to step down and focus on fulfilling the duties of my presidency for the remainder of my term,” he said in the open letter.
“I will speak to the public in more detail about my decision later this week.”
Biden also thanked Vice President Kamala Harris for “being a great partner in all of this effort.”
At 82, he is the oldest president in US history, a title that Trump would strip him of if he wins in November and serves a second full term.
