Joe Biden took sleeping pills ahead of US Presidential debate, Hunter Biden reveals details about father’s mental health

In a candid interview that is likely to reverberate across political circles, Hunter Biden offered a striking defence of his father, former US President Joe Biden, while revealing that the 81-year-old was prescribed Ambien, a sleep aid, ahead of the widely criticised 2024 presidential debate. Speaking on the Andrew Callaghan podcast, Hunter addressed growing concerns about the former president’s cognitive performance and seized the opportunity to take pointed swipes at former aides to Barack Obama and critics within the Democratic Party.

The Hunter Biden interview marks one of the most forceful rebuttals from the Biden family as the former US President faces mounting pressure from some factions of his party, following his underwhelming debate performance against Republican challenger and current President Donald Trump.

‘He was exhausted… and they gave him Ambien’

According to Hunter Biden, the former president’s poor debate showing was not the result of a diminished mental state but a combination of an exhausting travel schedule and the use of prescription sleep medication.


“I know exactly what happened in that debate,” Hunter said, offering a personal glimpse into the days leading up to the high-stakes event. “He flew around the world… the mileage that he could have flown around the world three times. He’s 81 years old. He’s tired as s---. They give him Ambien to be able to sleep.”

Hunter explained that the elder Joe Biden, upon stepping onto the debate stage, appeared “like a deer in the headlights,” which, in his view, fed into pre-existing narratives questioning the then president’s stamina and sharpness.

Hunter’s remarks come in the wake of media speculation and Democratic murmurs about whether Biden should have continued his 2024 campaign.

Obama-era allies criticised for undermining Biden

In a striking departure from Democratic unity, Hunter Biden lashed out at former members of the Obama administration and prominent Democratic operatives, accusing them of undermining his father’s credibility and political future.

“I hear Rahm Emanuel is going to run for president,” Hunter said with derision, also targeting Obama strategist David Axelrod. He reserved particular contempt for the hosts of Pod Save America, describing them as “White millionaires dining out on their association with Barack Obama from 16 years ago, living in Beverly f---ing Hills telling the rest of the world what Black voters in South Carolina really want.”

The Hunter Biden interview also challenged the narrative that Joe Biden was the consensus Democratic choice in 2020. “Bull----,” he said. “We lost Iowa. We lost New Hampshire. We came in second in Nevada… A lot of rural voters said, ‘F--- you, we love Joe.’ A lot of urban voters said, ‘F--- you. We love Joe.’”

Praise for Biden’s policy achievements

Despite his criticism of party elites, Hunter mounted a strong defence of the president’s policy record. He credited progressives within the Democratic Party — including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, and Ro Khanna — for recognizing the extent of the administration’s accomplishments.

“They said Joe Biden has got more of our agenda accomplished in four years than any president in history,” Hunter said. “The largest investment into climate change in history, just that alone.”

He pointed to the 2024 State of the Union address as a moment that “knocked it out of the park” and asserted that the Democratic establishment has tested his father time and again, from debates to interviews like the one with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos.

Defending his art career amid scrutiny

Turning the spotlight to his own controversies, Hunter Biden defended his artwork — a subject of Republican scrutiny and legal inquiry — claiming it has been unfairly portrayed as part of a larger corruption narrative.

“They accused me of crimes for painting,” Hunter said. “Not that I couldn’t sell my paintings, but that it was a clear conspiracy to launder money and to curry influence by selling acrylic on canvas, through this abstract painting by Hunter Biden.”

He dismissed the allegations as “insane bull----,” arguing that the accusations of influence peddling through art sales were inconsistent with how critics overlook far more blatant practices by Trump associates.

“These mother f---ers are selling gold telephones and sneakers and $2 billion investments in golf courses… Meanwhile, they accuse me of international corruption because I sell paintings,” he quipped.

On the Trumps: ‘Open influence peddling’

In his wide-ranging remarks, Hunter did not shy away from slamming Donald Trump Jr., who he alleged was engaging in transparent influence peddling through an exclusive new club.

“Don Jr. is opening a club called the Executive Club in Georgetown,” Hunter said. “It is promised that you will be able to rub shoulders — at the cost of a $500,000 initiation fee — with… people and decisionmakers in the cabinet of his father.”

Hunter contrasted this with the speculative narratives around his own conduct, saying, “If you believe the worst possible thing that they’ve ever said about me… what they are openly doing, they’re openly doing. And nobody’s batting an eye.”

FAQs

What did Hunter Biden say about his father's performance in the 2024 presidential debate?

Hunter Biden attributed Joe Biden’s underwhelming debate performance to exhaustion and the use of Ambien, a prescription sleep aid. He rejected claims of cognitive decline, saying his father was “tired as s---” after a hectic travel schedule and that the medication contributed to his uncharacteristic appearance on stage.

What is Ambien, and why was it mentioned?

Ambien is a sleep medication prescribed to help with insomnia. Hunter revealed that his father had been given Ambien in the days leading up to the 2024 debate, suggesting it may have affected his alertness during the event.