Hunter Biden blames Joe's debate performance on Ambien

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Jul 21, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Hunter Biden is blaming his father’s poor 2024 presidential debate performance on Ambien that he said doctors prescribed to help him deal with jet lag.

In a podcast interview released Monday, the onetime first son said former President Joe Biden was likely exhausted from the rigors of world travel ahead of the June clash that led to his pulling the plug on his reelection campaign.

“He flew around the world. He’s 81 years old. He’s tired,” Hunter Biden said. “They give him Ambien to be able to sleep, and he gets up on the stage and looks like a deer in the headlights.”

Joe Biden’s doctors never listed Ambien, a common sleep aid, as a medication he was given.

The interview with YouTube personality Andrew Callaghan was released on the one-year anniversary of Joe Biden ending his bid to win four more years in the White House, a decision that came amid disastrous political fallout from the debate.

Hunter Biden also denied any involvement in the discovery of a baggie of cocaine that was left in a White House security cubby in 2023, insisting he has been sober since 2019 after a well-documented battle with cocaine and other substance abuse.

“I have not touched a drop of alcohol or a drug, and I’m incredibly proud of that,” he said.

FBI Director Kash Patel has named the incident as one of several Biden-era investigations that he intends to revisit.

President Trump publicly said he suspected Hunter Biden could be responsible, although no evidence has ever surfaced.

Hunter Biden was pardoned by his father last December, just a few weeks before Joe Biden left the White House in January.

He was facing prison time after being convicted on federal gun charges related to his drug use in June 2024 and later pleading guilty to tax charges.

_____