Hunter Biden on addiction and 'the gift of being publicly shamed' | NPR's Newsmakers
7/19/202642 min
Hunter Biden says he has nothing left to hide. He’s been all over the internet in recent months, including appearances with some of his harshest critics, such as ultra-conservative podcasters Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes. In May, he reactivated his long-dormant X account, writing, “You've never actually heard from me.”
Since then, he’s posted an average of 23 times per day — weighing in on politics, news and culture. After his private life and struggle with addiction was made public through leaks in the media, congressional investigations and federal prosecutions, Biden now says being ‘stripped naked in the public square’ was, in a way, a gift.
In this episode of NPR's Newsmakers, Scott Simon sat down with Biden, who opened up about that public shaming, why President Joe Biden decided to pardon him after tax and gun convictions and why he didn’t want his father to run for reelection in 2024 – but didn’t tell him at the time.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsScott Simon· Host0:00
[gentle music] Hi, Scott Simon here with a special episode. Conversation from our sister show, Newsmakers, home of NPR's biggest interviews. Today, Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden· Guest0:12
I was on a plane once. I was seven years sober, and nothing was going wrong.
Scott Simon· Host0:17
Mm-hmm.
Hunter Biden· Guest0:18
And somebody asked me if I wanted a drink, and 10 years later, I woke up in a motel with a crack pipe. [gentle music] My dad got older before people's eyes, and I think that made them very nervous.
Scott Simon· Host0:31
You were pardoned by your father.
Hunter Biden· Guest0:32
Yes, thank God.
Scott Simon· Host0:34
Did that open the door for President Trump to pardon some of his supporters, including the January 6th gang?
Hunter Biden· Guest0:39
I think that that is, uh, an insane argument.
Scott Simon· Host0:42
[gentle music] Hunter Biden has been all over the internet lately. He's trolled President Trump and discussed his past struggles with addiction, but he's also made appearances with some fierce critics, including the conservative podcaster and conspiracy theorist Candace Owens. When we sat down with Hunter Biden in NPR Studios in New York City this week, he told us he had nothing left to hide. You've been speaking out so much in the past few months- I have ... on lots of different platforms. Uh, I'm struck by your first post on X, though, back in May, was, "I'm Hunter Biden. You've never actually heard from me."
Hunter Biden· Guest1:24
Yeah. Yeah.
Scott Simon· Host1:26
What do you want people to hear?
Hunter Biden· Guest1:27
Well,