Hunter Biden Claims His Father Was Given Ambien Before Disastrous Debate Against Trump

One year after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election, his son Hunter Biden is speaking out — and he’s not holding back.

In a wide-ranging interview with YouTube host Andrew Callaghan released Monday, Hunter reflected on his father’s fateful June 2024 debate against President Donald Trump, which marked the beginning of the end for Biden’s reelection bid. During the three-hour conversation, Hunter offered his version of what went wrong that night — and pointed a finger at medication.

“I know exactly what happened in that debate,” the 55-year-old said. “He was exhausted — flew the equivalent of three times around the world. They gave him Ambien to sleep, and he got on that stage looking like a deer in the headlights.”

During the CNN-hosted debate in Atlanta, then-President Biden appeared slow, struggled to complete sentences, and often trailed off mid-thought, fueling public concern about his age and mental sharpness. Despite campaign efforts to recover afterward, the performance proved fatal to his candidacy. Less than a month later, Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.

In the interview, Hunter claimed his father was pushed beyond his limits during the campaign and not properly cared for by his team. “He’s 81 years old,” Hunter said. “He’s tired as s—.”

The White House declined to comment on Hunter’s claims regarding Ambien use. But the allegation adds fuel to speculation about Biden’s physical and mental state during the 2024 campaign. Biden himself attributed the poor debate showing to jet lag and said he had ignored staff advice to rest after a whirlwind overseas schedule. The New York Times later reported he had nearly a week of downtime at Camp David prior to the debate.

Hunter also unloaded on several high-profile Democrats and liberal figures who publicly turned on his father after the debate — particularly actor George Clooney, who authored a July 2024 New York Times op-ed urging Biden to step aside.

“F— him and everybody around him,” Hunter said of Clooney. “He’s not an actor. He’s a brand. What right does he have to step on a man who’s given 52 years of his life to this country?”

He also criticized longtime Democratic strategist David Axelrod, the Pod Save America hosts, James Carville, and others who called for Biden to leave the race. “David Axelrod had one success in his political life, and that was Barack Obama — and that was because of Barack Obama,” Hunter said.

Hunter wasn’t any kinder to CNN’s Jake Tapper, whose recent book Original Sin accuses Biden’s inner circle of covering up signs of decline. “What influence does Jake Tapper have?” Hunter asked dismissively. “He has the smallest audience on cable news.”

Ultimately, Biden’s withdrawal cleared the way for Kamala Harris to lead the ticket with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. But the shift came too late to repair the Democratic campaign. In November, Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance defeated Harris-Walz by a wide margin, 312–226 in the Electoral College, and by over two million votes in the popular tally.

Some Democrats have blamed the loss on the party’s delay in replacing Biden, while others point to broader dissatisfaction with the direction of the administration.

But Hunter Biden, unfiltered as ever, blames betrayal — not just strategy. “This wasn’t about politics,” he said. “It was about loyalty, and my dad didn’t get it when it counted.”