Former NBC political analyst Chuck Todd shared his thoughts in a podcast on Monday, suggesting that the long-held image of former President Joe Biden as a devoted family man might be more of a myth than reality.
Biden made his official entry into the 2020 Democratic nomination race on April 25, 2019, despite grappling with serious issues surrounding his son Hunter’s drug addiction. During the podcast, Todd, along with Jake Tupper, co-author of “The Original Sin,” expressed skepticism about Biden’s motivations for running. Todd implied that Biden’s story is far more complicated than it appears, especially concerning Hunter.
“For me, the original sin was running for office in the first place when his family was in such danger. I’ve followed the Hunter Biden situation closely. I read every transcript and every testimony. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that Joe Biden put his children through this,” Todd remarked.
Hunter Biden was convicted in June 2024 on three felony gun charges after a special advisor, David Weiss, brought forward allegations connecting Hunter to a Colt Cobra Revolver purchase in October 2018, claiming he lied on the purchase documents while experiencing addiction issues.
To support his case, the prosecutor referenced Hunter’s memoir, “Beautiful Things,” where he candidly details his struggles with addiction, including troubling text messages from 2018.
“I was sleeping on 4th Avenue and Rodney while smoking crack in my car,” Hunter noted in texts from October 14, 2018.
Ultimately, Biden expressed forgiveness toward Hunter in December 2024, despite previously stating he wouldn’t intervene.
“Throughout most of his professional life, the narrative surrounding Joe Biden was of a man deeply concerned about his family, commuting to and from Washington nearly every day after enduring such loss,” Todd continued. “His ambition was something to note—it was almost relentless.”
Biden suffered a tragic loss in December 1972 when a car accident claimed his first wife, Nilia, and their infant daughter, Naomi. After this, he made a point to commute to Washington daily while raising his two surviving sons, Beau and Hunter.
Todd had previously called Biden “selfish” for running for president in 2020, further linking his candidacy to Hunter’s challenges.
“I closely observed the Hunter Biden trial, reviewing all the publicly available documents… you want to be upset about something, right? Essentially, he dragged his family into these issues. This was all happening in 2018,” Todd explained.
“And yet Joe and Jill, in their concern for family, decided to run for president. When you talk about being selfish, it’s almost an understatement—it illuminates the challenges they’ve brought upon themselves and the Democratic Party,” he concluded.
