Hunter disclosed that aides had been administering Ambien, a sleep medication, to his father, which he claimed resulted in his father appearing like a “deer in the headlights” during the heavily criticized debate.
“I know precisely what transpired in that debate,” Hunter, 55, stated to YouTube personality Andrew Callaghan in an interview released on the anniversary of Biden’s withdrawal from his re-election campaign, as reported by the New York Post. “He traveled around the globe. He’s 81 years old. He’s fatigued. They give him Ambien to help him sleep, and he steps onto the stage looking like a deer caught in the headlights.”
A note issued by Dr. Kevin O’Connor after President Biden’s physical examination on February 28, 2024, enumerated six medications the president was taking—but Ambien was not included. The Post also examined Biden’s publicly accessible medical records and found no evidence of an Ambien prescription, as noted by The Post.
Hunter Biden did not clarify how long his father might have been using the sleep aid before the debate, during which Biden’s faltering performance against Trump incited a wave of anxiety within the Democratic Party and ultimately influenced his choice to withdraw from the race.
Joe Biden attended the G7 summit in Italy from June 13 to 15, 2024, shortly after participating in events in France commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day. However, by June 20, he had retreated to Camp David to prepare for the crucial debate that occurred on June 27.
“He’s exhausted as hell. They’d give him Ambien to help him sleep. He gets up on stage, and he appears as if he’s a deer in the headlights,” Hunter Biden asserted.
Republicans and conservative commentators swiftly seized upon this revelation.
“Not an insignificant question: how much Ambien was Joe Biden taking every day as president?” inquired CNN commentator Scott Jennings on the X platform.
“The Biden White House, Democrats, and their allies in the legacy media have deceived the public. They maintained that Joe Biden was ‘sharp’ and performing well. Now, Democrats are pretending that the cover-up never occurred,” stated Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, in a post on X that included a video clip of various Democrats asserting that Biden was ‘on top of his game’ during his presidency.
In the meantime, Biden’s Democratic Party is in disarray following former Vice President Kamala Harris’ significant defeat to Trump in November, along with the Republican acquisition of both the House and Senate.
This situation has prompted some prominent Democrats to extend rare commendations to Trump at the Hill Nation Summit last week.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) referred to Trump as “a very talented politician,” while Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), who leads the Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, acknowledged Trump’s foreign policy decisions, particularly regarding the Middle East, as reported by The Hill.
These comments signify a change in tone as Democrats seek to understand their missteps and strategize for the upcoming 2026 midterms. Republicans currently maintain a 220–212 majority in the House, and Democrats are working diligently to bridge the divide.
“Donald Trump is indeed a very talented politician, correct?” Khanna remarked. “I do not concur with him as a leader. He is a very skilled politician.”
Subsequently, Khanna made a candid acknowledgment.
“We behaved as if the issue lay with the voters,” he stated. “The issue was with the party, and we approached it with a sense of condescension and judgment towards the voters.”
