Joe Biden on Friday defended his scandal-stricken son Hunter amid investigations for alleged tax violations and lying about a gun license, insisting, “My son has done nothing wrong.”
The president spoke with Stephanie Ruhle of MSNBC in his own first one-on-one with a television reporter since February, when he spoke to PBS Newshour.
It is also the first since announcing his 2024 campaign.
Biden was questioned about his 53-year-old son, whose business and tax dealings are under investigation by prosecutors.
When asked how the investigation affects his presidency, Biden replied, “First of all, my son has done nothing wrong.
“I trust him, I have faith in him,” he said.
“And it affects my presidency by making me feel proud of him.”
Joe Biden defended his son Hunter Friday night, despite federal prosecutors weighing four charges against Hunter — three related to tax crimes and the fourth a felony related to the purchase of a gun, according to the Washington Post
Biden spoke to MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle on Friday and said he remained the best man for the job. “I have gained an awful lot of wisdom and know more than the vast majority of people,” Biden said. “And I have more experience than anyone who has ever run for the office. And I think I’ve proven myself to be both honorable and effective’
Hunter Biden (pictured leaving court in Arkansas this week) is on his way to forming a legal defense fund as a federal investigation nears its end and he faces GOP investigations. He is also involved in a child support battle in court
Hunter Biden met with U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss at Justice Department headquarters in Washington DC last week as a sign that the federal investigation into him over tax and gun charges is drawing to a close.
Weiss and his federal prosecutors are weighing four charges against Hunter — three related to tax crimes and the fourth a felony related to the purchase of a gun, according to the Washington Post.
Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans are stepping up their investigation into Hunter Biden’s finances and what some of them are calling the “Biden crime family.”
This week Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, 89, and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said they had heard from a whistleblower.
They described being told of a bribery scheme from the time Biden served as vice president.
“We believe the FBI possesses an unclassified internal document containing very serious and detailed allegations implicating the current president of the United States,” Grassley said.
Grassley later said in an interview that he did not know if the whistleblower’s claims were true.
He told Newsmax, “It’s a very serious allegation. I wish I could say I knew it was true or false.”
Biden (right) held a bilateral press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left) last week, where leaders answer questions from two elected journalists from each country
Meanwhile, the president was asked by Ruhle why he was running for re-election.
The 80-year-old Biden made his re-election official last Tuesday by releasing a video.
He hasn’t hit the campaign trail since then – spending most of this week out of the public eye.
Ruhle pointed out that no Fortune 500 company is currently looking for a CEO in their 80s, and asked why he thought he was up to the job.
“Because I’ve gained an awful lot of wisdom and know more than the vast majority of people,” Biden said.
“And I have more experience than anyone who has ever run for the office.
“And I think I’ve proven myself to be both honorable and effective.”
He added that it would be catastrophic for the United States if Donald Trump returns to the White House.
“We can’t let the same man who was president four years ago win this election,” he said.
When asked what the difference was between him and Trump, Biden replied, “Everything, everything. Everything.’
The president and first lady hosted a state dinner for South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol last Wednesday — where Biden did participate in a traditional bilateral press conference, where leaders answer questions from two elected journalists from each country.
On Saturday night, Biden attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where he was pressured by White House Correspondents’ Association president Tamara Keith to be more accessible to reporters.
“Every president privately and sometimes publicly slows down his reporting. And yet they invite us to come in and answer our questions,” Keith said.
“Although, sir, maybe not as much as we’d like,” she said, turning to Biden, who was sitting nearby on the podium.
Two weeks ago, The New York Times cited Biden’s press embarrassment a “deliberate strategy” noting that in the 100 years since President Calvin Coolidge took office, only Republican presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan held as few press conferences as Biden.
He has yet to do a sit-down interview with an American newspaper.
In total, he conducted 54 interviews before meeting Ruhle on Friday.
By comparison, Donald Trump conducted 202 interviews during his first two years in office, while Barack Obama conducted 275 interviews, according to The Times.
On Friday, Biden interrupted shouted questions and said he would give a press conference later.
President Joe Biden teased journalists at the White House on Friday by telling them he would answer their questions later that afternoon at a “major press conference”
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris headed to Taqueria Habaneros on Friday to pick up some Cinco de Mayo supplies
Conservatives on Twitter mocked Biden for mixing up an interview and a press conference. “The White House is already working hard to reverse this,” said Ronna Romney McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee.
It was later clarified by aides that he meant the interview.
Biden and Kamala Harris then went to a D.C. takeout restaurant to buy tacos, in honor of Cinco de Mayo.
Meanwhile, conservatives on Twitter mocked Biden for mixing up an interview and a press conference.
“The White House is trying to reverse this,” said Ronna Romney McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee.
“Biden’s last solo press conference was 172 days ago.”