Hunter Biden says his father’s disastrous debate performance last year was due in part to Ambien.
In a new interview with YouTuber Andrew Callaghan, Hunter claimed President Joe Biden, then 81, took the sleep aid while traveling internationally before the 2024 CNN debate against Donald Trump. “He’s tired. They give him Ambien to be able to sleep and he gets up on the stage and looks like a deer in the headlights,” Hunter said.
It’s unclear when exactly Biden took Ambien or for how long. The FDA warns that the drug can cause lingering drowsiness in adults over 70, who metabolize it more slowly.
The debate was widely seen as a turning point in the 2024 election. Biden appeared confused and frozen at moments, even stating at one point, “I finally beat Medicare.” Just weeks later, he dropped out of the race under pressure from within his own party.
Hunter said Democratic leaders threatened to revolt. “They said, ‘We are going to blow up the party if you don’t drop out,’” he recalled. “We’re going to protest this all the way up… to the convention.”
Ambien was not listed among the six medications disclosed in Biden’s February 2024 physical. Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s physician and longtime friend, refused to answer House investigators’ questions earlier this month, invoking the Fifth Amendment.
Biden was later diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in May — a revelation that drew bipartisan criticism toward O’Connor, who had previously declared Biden’s health “excellent.”
Hunter insisted the backlash was exaggerated and claimed his father had advanced the Democratic agenda more than any president in history. He also dismissed concerns raised by high-profile Democrats, saying, “The people who came out against him were nobody.”
Still, after testing positive for COVID-19 in mid-July and facing more questions about his cognitive sharpness, Biden officially stepped aside. “He did the most selfless thing that I know of any politician in the history of this f—ing country,” Hunter said. “He stepped aside to save the party.”