Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, launched a scathing verbal attack against CNN anchor Jake Tapper during an interview with former CNN host Don Lemon on his YouTube channel. Biden accused Tapper of being a "complete and utter a**hole" and a "poor journalist," among other criticisms, during the interview published on July 22, 2026. The public broadside follows a period of escalating tensions between Biden and Tapper, largely fueled by Tapper's forthcoming book, "Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again."
"Jake is a complete and utter asshole. He is a really poor journalist. I don't think he is a decent human being. As a person, I don't like Jake. I think he's full of fucking shit." — Hunter Biden, Son of President Joe Biden
The book's promotional rollout had already sparked a public back-and-forth between the two men. Beyond the book, Biden cited Tapper's past public remarks concerning him and his parents as a source of his deep-seated animosity. The interview provided a platform for Biden to air what he described as a "real personal grievance" against the veteran CNN anchor.
During the sit-down, Lemon directly asked Biden about his relationship with Tapper. Biden quickly dismissed the idea of friendship, stating, "No," despite acknowledging he had "knew Jake forever." When Lemon introduced the topic of Tapper's book, Biden's demeanor shifted, leading to a series of unreserved criticisms. "I think that, um, Jake is a, um, a complete and utter, uh, a**hole," Biden stated. He continued, "I think that he is, um, a really poor journalist. And beyond that, I don’t think he’s a very decent human being." Biden plainly added that he does not "like" Tapper "as a person."
Pressed further by Lemon, Biden escalated his comments, declaring, "I think he’s full of fcking sht. That’s what I think." Lemon repeated the line back, prompting Biden to confirm his sentiment. Biden also made a pop-culture comparison, calling Tapper "the Brick Tamland of his generation," referencing a bumbling weatherman character from the 2004 comedy "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."
Biden underscored the personal nature of his grievance, expressing frustration over Tapper's public commentary. He articulated his feelings by saying, "What Jake espoused and has continued, and the way that he has spoken about me, the way he has spoken about my mother, the way that he has spoken about my father…" His sentence trailed off, but his message was clear. Biden expressed no desire to soften his stance for public consumption, stating, "I’m not running for anything. I’m certainly not running for class president. I’m not running to be the most popular man, you know, on TV." When asked what he would say to Tapper directly, Biden laughed, then turned to the camera and spoke as if Tapper were present: "Jake. I do not like you. I don’t like you at all. And I have a whole host of reasons why. And that’s final. There you go. I’m looking directly into the camera."
The friction between Biden and Tapper dates back at least to July 2025, when Tapper told Katie Couric that Biden functioned "almost like a chief of staff" to his father during the Biden administration. Weeks later, Biden countered this claim in an interview with former Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison, asserting, "I was in that White House 12 days over the course of the last two years of the administration. Clearly, because I had other things going on, OK?" In the same Couric interview, Tapper characterized Biden as "probably, demonstrably unethical, sleazy and prone to horrible decisions," contrasting him with his late brother, Beau, whom Tapper described as "a great, upstanding guy."
Tensions further intensified when Biden claimed to the newsletter Breaker that Tapper repeatedly called him while Beau Biden was dying at Walter Reed Hospital. Biden alleged he answered one call by telling Tapper, "Go f**k yourself, Jake." A spokesperson for Tapper vehemently denied this account, calling it "a patently false lie" and asserting that "the idea that Jake could do something so heartless… completely defies logic." Tapper has also publicly defended CNN's coverage of Joe Biden’s cognitive state while in office, stating that reporters were "lied to over and over again" but were not part of any cover-up. The interview with Don Lemon occurred after Joe Biden dropped his 2024 reelection bid, following a debate co-moderated by Tapper and Dana Bash in Atlanta.
In response to Hunter Biden's latest comments, CNN issued a statement defending its anchor. "Jake Tapper is a respected journalist and his work speaks for itself. For decades, he has challenged and scrutinized those in power, regardless of party, ideology, or title. That’s the job, and he’s done it exceptionally well," the network stated, dismissing Biden’s remarks as "frankly ridiculous." Tapper has been with CNN for 13 years.
