Reflecting on His Father's Legacy and His Own Recovery

0:00 Speaker 1 With us today is Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son. And we have a connection together. We have the same priest that we all admire, Father Alex Carloutsos. I know President Biden gave him the Medal of Freedom. And Hunter, you know him very well, and you consider him a mentor.

0:24 And he’s godfather to both my children.

0:28 Speaker 2 Well, he is one of the finest men I know, and I love him. I love the whole family.

0:36 Speaker 1 Well, the good news is when the patriarch who sits on equal ground with the pope made him the highest-ranking priest in the entire world, which Father Alex deserves, and he is a person that brings people together. He doesn’t care if you’re Ukrainian.

1:00 Speaker 3 Russian, or anything.

1:01 Speaker 1 He brings people together, and that’s one of the key things. He doesn’t care if you’re a Democrat, an Independent, or a Republican. He brings people together, and I’ve always admired him. I considered him a mentor, and he’s godfather to both my kids, and I think you told me you consider him a mentor.

1:20 Speaker 3 Oh, I do.

1:22 Speaker 2 He’s been a friend of my family for as long as I can remember, and particularly a friend of me. He and Xanti have been just extraordinarily incredible and beautiful in every way. And Michael, too, is a good friend of mine. I feel like he’s bringing people together right now, John, you and me. Absolutely, absolutely. We’re both lucky to have him.

1:52 Speaker 1 Now, we’ve all been through a lot of things, and you have been through a lot. And one of the questions that I ask is that a lot of people have gone after you. In your opinion, was that to compromise your dad?

2:10 Speaker 2 Oh, none of it was about me. It was all about my dad and all about power, all about the presidency and then, you know, the administration. And I was never confused about that. The, you know, politics is a hardball sport, as they say, but they took it to a whole new level as it relates to me. But,

2:37 you know, I mean, John, the fact of the matter is, you know, my addiction was– made it– opened me up to a lot of things that I wouldn’t have otherwise. But, you know, the good news is, is that here I am still standing in recovery, sober for over seven and a half– clean and sober for over seven and a

3:01 half years. And I feel stronger than ever, so– Now, one of the things... Confused about why.

3:09 Speaker 1 One of the things that, you know, your dad... You know, I knew your dad. I don’t know if you’ve realized it, but I knew him 40 years ago. And he was very smart, very accurate. And you know who used to say that all the time? Senator Alphonse D’Amato. I think that either he came to his wedding or your dad

3:30 went to his wedding or whatever. But they were always very close.

3:34 Speaker 3 And he saw.

3:35 Speaker 1 the decline of your father the last few years, and that had to hurt a lot. I mean, your inner feeling, it hurt a lot because I would feel the same way if it happened to my dad.

3:48 Speaker 3 Now, you tell us. Yeah. It did hurt. Yeah.

3:55 Speaker 2 Well, look, John, I’ve said this on a number of places is that America witnessed somebody get old in front of their eyes. And he lost a step. I mean, literally like a physical step. But the one thing he did not lose is his capacity to do the job.

4:15 And I think that Americans are going to have to get a lot more comfortable with people in positions of power and authority, whether it’s in the corporate world or whether it’s in any part of life, and continuing to participate while they may be a little bit more frail.

4:37 His capacity being president, he did not lose his step, in my opinion. But As it relates to being able to run a 40-yard dash, he certainly did.

4:49 Speaker 1 Now, do you feel there was people at the White House, because your father was maybe a little bit less sharp, do you feel there was people at the White House taking advantage of him?

5:02 Speaker 2 Oh, no, never. Nobody took advantage of my dad, that’s for sure. I mean, just look at the record, John. The fact of the matter is that he had the most successful two years of legislation when he came into office of anybody since Lyndon Johnson. with the slimmest majority of any president ever. He put back together NATO. He

5:19 added Norway and Finland to NATO for the first time in its history. He rallied the world against Russian aggression in Ukraine. And at the same time, He brought us back from an incredible deficit that we were in post-COVID in the Trump administration in which we were at the highest rate of unemployment in this country since the Great Depression.

5:46 And he did all of that, and he brought back inflation down to 2.6%, I think, when he left office. And so I think that when we look back into the history of it, rather than in the fog of war that we still continue, that we remain in right now, is that I think that you’ll see, I think that

6:05 historians will look at my dad’s presidency as an incredible success.

6:09 Speaker 3 Well, that was my next question.

6:12 Speaker 1 How do you think 20 years from now, 50 years from now, People, historians will look back at your dad’s presidency.

6:20 Speaker 2 Well, I think they’ll look back and they’ll think, they’ll look back at actually what he did, rather than what was written about him in the pages of the New York Times and the New York Post. And what he did was quite extraordinary as it relates to the legislation.

6:34 If you remember, John, when he took office, everyone was saying that there was no way that Joe Biden was ever going to get anything done and anything passed through Congress. And not only was that not true, he was able to do more than any other president since Lyndon Johnson in terms of bipartisan legislation that was passed. And I

6:54 think that we’ll look back at that legislation and see everything from the infrastructure bill to the PACT Act to the Save America Act, the first that he passed that cut child poverty in half, is that there’s extraordinary accomplishments there.

7:09 But more than anything, John, I think that we’ll look back at the Biden presidency and look back at the man, the man who had an enormous amount of empathy that he brought to the office that had an extraordinary amount of decency. And it reflected in the way in which he communicated to the American people. And I think that

7:29 my dad, as a president, is unique in the way in which I always say that you need an enormous ego to ever want to be president, let alone become one. But you don’t have to be a narcissist. And I think that the look back at my dad’s attempt to bring back the soul of America and to bring back

7:49 decency to the office and treat him kindly.

7:55 Speaker 1 The Democratic Socialists are trying to overrun the Democratic Party. And your dad and you have been lifelong Democrats. Are we going to be able, is the Democratic Party going to be able to sort things out and get the Socialists out of the Democratic Party?

8:13 Speaker 2 Well, look, here’s what I’m in. I’m an FDR Democrat. And if you think that that’s socialism, then you can put whatever label you want on it. But I believe that everybody in this country deserves a health care that doesn’t threaten to bankrupt them if their child ends up in the hospital. I believe that everybody should be able

8:34 to have a living wage. I believe in the idea that we all have a responsibility to take care of each other in a way. I don’t know if you’ve read this book. It’s called the second estate. And the argument that it makes is that more than any time in history, maybe since the turn of the last century

9:05 in the 1900s when Teddy Roosevelt was president, is that the wealth gap around so significant that we are ending up with an oligarchy that is bankrupting this country. And I believe that what people’s response to that is totally understandable, which is this, is that a nurse shouldn’t be paying more in taxes than a billionaire. And And I don’t

9:36 believe that billionaires are bad. I don’t believe that billionaires are good. I think that they’re taking advantage of the, as they should, of the system that is in place. But I do believe that we have to come back to some, we have to work three jobs in order to be able to just pay the rent. And so

9:56 whatever you want to call it, I do believe that people are kind of fed up up. 90% of the people that are fed up live in a two, maybe three-bedroom apartment and maybe go on vacation a couple times a year. If you make less than what? What would you say? A million dollars in Manhattan to be able

10:18 to do that?

10:19 Speaker 3 In Manhattan? Manhattan is a little bit of a different place.

10:22 Speaker 2 Well, but what I’m saying, it didn’t used to be, John. It didn’t used to be. And whether you go to Manhattan or whether you go over to Hoboken right now, the truth of the matter is, is that in order to be able to live what we used to call a middle class lifestyle, you have to be in the

10:40 top 10% of this country. At least, people don’t realize this. You know what the top 1% of income earners make? They make over $ 750, 000 a year. That’s it. It’s not, we’re not talking about, you know, people with hundreds of millions of dollars. We’re talking about people that are strong, they can buy, that make what we used to call

11:05 a good income. But, you know, have two cars in the driveway, you know, maybe have a split level car. you know, three bedroom house for you and your three kids and be able to be certain that your kid’s going to go to college, that if they get sick, that it’s not going to bankrupt you. Those are regular

11:26 working people, real people. And I’m not just talking about people that used to work in factory jobs and go to the auto plant. I’m talking about people that work in office buildings, not just in Manhattan, but in every surrounding borough in New York.

11:44 Speaker 3 Now, I’ll tell you, I want to straighten out one item.

11:47 Speaker 1 And when I said the socialists, it seems like the socialist party right now are people, you know, the FDR Democrats, the Bill Clinton Democrats, they were left of sector, but they loved America. But it seems like the people I’m referring to is the people that are trying to take over the Democratic Party that possibly hate America.

12:14 Speaker 2 Well, I don’t know who those are. And if they hate America, then they’re not part of my party. That’s for sure. I agree. If you can show me. And you remember.

12:24 Speaker 1 I was a Bill Clinton Democrat. I helped run his campaign. I know. Yes.

12:27 Speaker 2 No, I know, John. I know. And I think that we’re more aligned than you think. And the truth of the matter is, is that those people don’t represent me any more than someone like Laura Loomer represents your Republican Party.

12:41 I don’t think that you would agree with someone like Laura, who makes racist statements and cruel statements about people all the time. I don’t think that you think that every Haitian is eating the cats and dogs. I don’t think that you think that the immigrants that have come here and sought asylum are all bad people, criminals and thugs.

13:03 Whatever the issue may come, I think that most Americans agree with both you and I. That if you love America, if you’re willing to work hard and you play by the rules, you should be given a fair shot. That’s what my Democratic party says.

13:18 Speaker 1 I agree 110 percent. You know, I was vice chairman of Ellis Island Foundation along with Bill Fugazi, along with Lee Iacocca was honorary chairman.

13:28 Speaker 3 And we wanted we.

13:29 Speaker 1 Wanted immigrants that came into America that loved America. not people that hated America. We wanted, you know, my grandfathers, my grandfathers came in, my great, my, my grandfathers came in in 1913 and my father came in in 1949 and they loved America. And that’s what it’s all about.

13:49 But we’re, you know, we, and I think that’s the key item. Now, let me ask you, uh, the, we’re going to have presidential election in 2028. Have you made up your mind yet? Yeah.

14:04 Speaker 1 Would you like to run for public.

14:08 Speaker 2 Office in the future? As a Democrat, like I’m talking to Democrats right now, which is this. I adhere to the old Will Rogers line. I’m a member of any organized party. I’m a Democrat. And the truth of the matter is that I think that we have an incredible bunch.

14:34 If you look at people like Andy Beshear, you look at people like J.B. Pritzker. I love Gavin Newsom personally. You look at people like Governor Shapiro in Pennsylvania. They’re doing incredible things. You look at Westmoreland, Maryland. They’re running their states incredibly well from the center left. And I think that they are all... leaders that we’d be very

15:00 proud to have serve as president of the United States. So that’s where I think our party is. And I also think that our party is angry, but it’s not just Democrats that are angry. I think one of the reasons that Donald Trump won in the past is because he tapped into an anger, an anger about inequality that

15:22 has grown and grown and grown in this country and what to do about it. And instead of doing anything about it, it seems like he is much more interested in filling his own bank account than the bank accounts of normal Americans. Look, John, here’s my qualification for being president in this day and age right now. If you

15:45 adhere to and believe in the Constitution of the United States of America and that you swear to uphold and protect it, But I keep saying, I just said, John, I think that I want somebody to represent America, whoever is the next president, to just commit to one thing, to commit to adhering to the rule of law, to

16:07 commit to the idea that we believe in this constitutional republic. And the aspirations of normal Americans to just be able to send their kids to school and feel like they can send them safely to to believe in the idea that no one is above the law. And so that’s my criteria. And whoever we put up, I’m sure I

16:30 and I and I pray to God will will believe in those things.

16:34 Speaker 1 Now, I missed the answer before. Will you ever consider running for office?

16:41 Speaker 2 My answer was, is that if I get your endorsement, I may have to. But no, I get a chance to talk to people about the thing that I care most about right now, John. And the thing that I care most about is the 50 million Americans that are still suffering sick and sick that are out there with

17:01 their addictions that suffer every day from that. And I believe that just my speaking and being out there as someone in recovery is something that I hope gives some solace to people that they’re not alone in their struggle.

17:17 And so that’s my goal. And that’s why I’ve been doing all of these interviews and talking to as many people as I can.

17:25 Speaker 1 I’m going to ask you one last question, and it’s a tougher question. Sure. If we had a limited amount of money, let’s say we only had $ 100 million to spend, And we had the right to spend it on American citizens, veterans in the streets of New York, that our suicide rate is 13 or 20 veterans a day. Or, you know, I’m

17:51 chairman of the Police Athletic League. We have a lot of American kids in the inner city that are suffering, and we try to help them. I took over Mr. Bob Morgenthau’s position on that. And Versus migrants that just jumped the ship and came in.

18:10 Speaker 2 Oh, if I if I was had to make that choice, of course, the choice is number one. I would spend spend it on people here. I do not believe in this idea that you should be able to jump the line or the fantasy or the I think that. the disinformation as it related to immigration. Look, the fact of

18:33 the matter is that in 2023, James Lankford put together with the administration and with his Republican colleagues an immigration bill that would have fixed a lot of these things. And Donald Trump picked up the phone and he called and he told Republicans to vote against it. It would have added money to ICE. It would have added money

18:53 to border security. It would have fixed the asylum courts. It would have allowed for a a more humane, but also more orderly immigration policy. And we didn’t get it. And that’s what needs to happen. You know, these indiscriminate ICE detention arrests, the things that we’re watching, the people getting literally, and I use this word purposely, murdered on

19:17 the streets by people just to show force. is not something that I believe reflects well on this country. So we got to fix it. And if I had the money to spend, the first money that I would spend on veterans, 100%, it is a crime the way in which I believe that we still have looked at what

19:38 is an epidemic as it relates to the suicide rate among veterans, as it relates to their dealing with PTSD, and most importantly, as it relates to substance abuse and addiction with the ranks of all veterans. And we have one sacred obligation, and that’s to the troops that we send into harm’s way when they come home. And so

19:59 if you ask me where I’d spend my money, that’s where I’d spend it first.

20:02 Speaker 1 And I’ll tell you, Hunter, one of my personal things are that even if we have migrants that are in our country right now that are mowing the lawns and good people or busboys or cooks or just hardworking people, that my personal opinion, I should not go after them.

20:26 And they should go after murderers. drug addicts, not drug addicts, drug pushers that push drugs onto our kids, and you went through that where people were pushing it on you, that those people should be deported right away, and we don’t want them harming our kids.

20:47 Speaker 3 What is your opinion?

20:49 Speaker 2 A hundred percent. I don’t know of anybody that doesn’t agree with that, John. That’s the rational conversation about this. That’s something that every American, I think, agrees with. By the way, that’s something that every naturalized citizen agrees with, is that I 100% believe that. But we know by the statistics, by what’s happening right now, by the video

21:16 footage that we have, by these detention centers, that that is not what’s happening. It’s not what’s happening. It is not even remotely fixing the problem. But forget about that. Yes, 100%. I totally, completely agree with you. And I don’t know anyone, John, that believes in this country that would ever disagree with that.

21:39 And so I’m 100% on board with you on that.

21:41 Speaker 3 Thank you so much. And one additional. Some of the Democratic senators.

21:47 Speaker 1 that boats were coming in full of drugs from Venezuela, and the Navy shot them down because they had tons of drugs in there that would harm our kids, and some Democratic senators would say, you shouldn’t have done that.

22:07 Speaker 3 I mean, that’s just my opinion.

22:10 Speaker 2 Yeah, yeah. No, look, I think that if those boats were filled with fentanyl, that we have the right and the responsibility to stop them in any way that we can. I think what the problem is, John, is that we haven’t had any after-action report on that. And not only have we not had any after-action report on it, it

22:32 all remains classified. But we have whistleblowers inside that say that they had no intelligence about those boats. But If they did, I 100% agree with you, is that it’s all about leadership. It’s all about credible leadership. And having the weekend host of Fox News run the Pentagon in the way that he’s running the Pentagon is something that

22:55 I don’t find that reflects well on this country. Look, I’m an American. I... I truly, truly want whoever is our president to succeed, but particularly succeed in keeping this country safe. That’s their primary responsibility. And the problem is, John, is that I don’t know if that is their focus.

23:18 I don’t know if it’s their focus or whether they’re doing it. And from what I’m seeing is that I don’t feel safer today than I did on January 20th of 2025. I feel less safe. I feel less safe about a situation in Iran. I feel less safe about many of the situations around the world. I feel less

23:36 safe that we’re cozying up to Kim Jong-un rather than supporting the Ukraine in their battle against them. So it’s a whole other discussion, but Again, we agree. We agree on so much. And I think that what has happened is that we’ve been led to believe that we, as Americans, disagree on far more than what we agree upon. And

24:01 we’ve got to get back to that. We really do. And I don’t know how to do it.

24:04 Speaker 1 I think the key is that the people we give green cards to have to love America and salute the president no matter who it is and not hate America. Oh, 100%.

24:15 Speaker 3 I agree with you 100%.

24:17 Speaker 2 A hundred percent. A hundred percent. I tell you about.

24:20 Speaker 1 I want to thank you for coming on today. And I want to thank you for, you know, the one thing that this interview accomplishes is that you have more common sense than people.

24:36 Speaker 2 Give him credit for it.

24:37 Speaker 1 Yeah, give him credit for it. And the fact is that I think it’s a positive interview that people look upon you more positively.

24:49 Speaker 2 Well, again, give Father Alex a big hug for me. And also, John, I really appreciate you asking me to come on anytime.

25:01 Speaker 3 And Hunter, one more thing. I understand... My son bought one of your paintings.

25:08 Speaker 2 He did. He did. I was so proud that he bought a painting and it’s called Conspiracy. And you can go look at it online on my website. But it’s a beautiful painting. It means a lot to me. And I didn’t know it was him until after it was bought.

25:27 And so, you know, you’ll get to look at it when you go visit the grandkids.

25:32 Speaker 1 Well, I look forward to breaking bread together. And thank you for coming on. And you’ll be the main discussion this Sunday when I’m in church with Father Alex. Perfect. Thanks.

25:43 Speaker 3 Thank you so much.

25:44 Speaker 2 Okay. See you, John. Bye-bye.