Hunter Biden has spoken publicly for the first time about the moment his father, former US president Joe Biden, struggled to complete a sentence during a televised debate against Donald Trump in the 2024 election campaign. The incident fueled concerns about potential cognitive decline.
Hunter's reaction to the debate moment
Appearing on BBC Newsnight, Hunter was asked by host Paddy O'Connell: “Where were you, Hunter, when your father failed to complete a sentence on primetime television during a presidential election campaign? Where were you watching that?”
Hunter replied: “I was alone… I wasn’t alone, I was at my house here in California, but I was alone in a room with the TV, and I was watching it. Like everybody else, I was shocked. I could tell as soon as my father came out that something was wrong. I’ve never seen him with the 100 yard stare that he had. You know, everybody has their questions.”
Theories behind the lapse
He added: “But the reason that we know about that was not because Joe Biden wasn’t on TV or in public a million and a half times before and after. The reason that was so shocking is because it had never happened before and it hasn’t happened since.”
Hunter offered his own theories: “I have theories about the fact that he had travelled as much as he did, and he was taking Ambien, which I believe, I’m positive they gave him when he was going back and forth from Asia. I think he had flown eight different legs in a three-week period of time. But these are just theories of mine.”
Father's cancer diagnosis
He also revealed that nine months later, Joe Biden was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer and stage 4 metastatic bone cancer, which none of them knew at the time. Hunter said: “My reaction to it was I was as shocked as anyone who knew Joe Biden was.”
Providing an update on his father’s condition, Hunter said: “Cancer is really hard. It’s really sad to watch.” He described the battle as “very painful” and “very debilitating.”
