Hunter Biden, son of former President Joe Biden, publicly questioned President Donald Trump’s use of the presidential pardon power during a recent interview, despite having received a comprehensive pardon from his own father. Speaking with MeidasTouch, the 55-year-old addressed the clemency system, admitting his personal connection to the issue.
"I’m completely biased as it relates to what my dad did for me," he said, adding "I don’t think that the founders ever imagined Donald Trump." — Hunter Biden, Son of former President Joe Biden
“I’m completely biased as it relates to what my dad did for me,” Hunter Biden stated, acknowledging the unique circumstances of his own pardon. He further elaborated, “I fully understand how uniquely situated I am in being privileged enough to have received a pardon from my father.” This admission came in response to a query about potential structural reforms to the presidential pardon system, a topic on which Biden did not offer specific policy proposals. Instead, his remarks pivoted to direct criticism of the current presidential family. “I don’t think that the founders ever imagined Donald Trump. I don’t think they ever imagined the Trump family,” he asserted.
The pardon granted to Hunter Biden by his father, the 46th president, was described as a "full and unconditional pardon." This extensive clemency covered any federal offenses Hunter Biden might have committed over an almost eleven-year period, specifically from January 1, 2014, through December 1, 2024. This timeframe is notable as it encompasses the years Hunter Biden served on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, as well as the period during which he committed the offenses that led to two separate federal convictions.
In June 2024, a jury found Hunter Biden guilty on charges related to illegally possessing a firearm while addicted to controlled substances. Just three months later, in September 2024, he entered a guilty plea on federal tax charges, admitting to withholding approximately $1.4 million from the United States government. The pardon effectively shielded him from the legal consequences of these and any other federal offenses within the specified window.
The decision by Joe Biden to pardon his son marked a significant reversal from earlier public statements. Throughout much of his presidency, Joe Biden had repeatedly assured the American public and White House reporters that a pardon for his son was not forthcoming. Senior administration officials had echoed these assurances on numerous occasions. When the pardon was ultimately issued, Joe Biden justified his decision by claiming that Hunter had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”
This reversal was met with criticism, even from within Joe Biden's own party. Several prominent Democrats publicly voiced concerns that issuing the pardon could provide President Trump with a political argument to expand his own use of clemency once in office. These concerns appear to have been prescient, informing Hunter Biden's recent comments.
During the MeidasTouch interview, Hunter Biden drew a comparison between his father’s clemency record and that of President Trump. “I think my dad gave 80 or so pardons over a four-year period of time,” he remarked, contrasting this with President Trump’s record. “Donald Trump has given over 1,500 pardons in the first year alone. But I’m obviously — I’m not the one to be, I don’t think, fairly or unbiasedly talking about the presidential pardon power.”
The majority of President Trump’s clemency actions during his current term have stemmed from his decision to grant mass clemency to approximately 1,600 defendants connected to the January 6, 2021, breach of the United States Capitol. Beyond this large-scale action, President Trump has also issued 120 additional individual pardons and commutations.
Prior to his departure from the White House, Joe Biden, who is now 83, had established a clemency record unmatched by any predecessor in terms of commutations. His administration issued a total of 4,165 commutations and 80 pardons. Joe Biden celebrated this total as a step toward rectifying what he described as longstanding injustices within the federal justice system. The recent interview highlights a perceived contrast: a man shielded from federal prosecution by one of the broadest pardons ever recorded, now publicly scrutinizing how the same constitutional authority is being exercised by the current occupant of the Oval Office.
