Joe Biden's Former Press Secretary Throws Hunter Under The Bus In Tell-All Book

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Folks were more worried about former President Joe Biden than ever after his now-infamous presidential debate against Donald Trump in June 2024. Joe's debate performance was so heavily criticized that he proceeded to drop out of the race and was replaced by former Vice President Kamala Harris. Now, then-press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is speaking out about what transpired during the historic debate. And she's pinning it on Joe's son, Hunter Biden.

Jean-Pierre's new book, "Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines," hit shelves today, offering insight into her time as White House press secretary. One thing she addressed in her book is the talk about Joe's rumored suffering cognitive ability that inspired quite a bit of worry after his 2024 debate against Trump. According to Jean-Pierre, however, she "saw no such decline" in Joe before he took the debate stage.

Rather than an indication that Joe's age was affecting his mental state, Jean-Pierre believes that his debate abilities were a reflection of the panic he was experiencing behind the scenes. The debate came just weeks after day one of Hunter's gun trial, in which he faced federal charges for illegal gun ownership. Hunter would go on to be convicted of all three charges before Joe ultimately pardoned him at the end of his presidency. According to Jean-Pierre, however, it seems that Joe was distracted by his son's potential fate in the interim, and in some ways, it may have cost him his second term.

"As soon as President Biden opened his mouth at the debate podium, I became worried," Karine Jean-Pierre wrote about the June 27, 2024 debate in her new book. She added, "Then our phones started going off. It was clear that he was sick, and that this was the beginning of the end." According to Jean-Pierre, the debate came in the midst a lot of traveling for Joe Biden, which she believes had him worn out and not feeling his best. "But, in the middle of all those trips, Biden's only living son was also on trial," she wrote, adding, "It had to be straining Biden's spirit. And frankly, I think his heart broke."

Interestingly, Jean-Pierre also wrote about George Clooney's New York Times op-ed that was released shortly after the debate, which was titled "I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee." She said that Clooney's reasons for suggesting Joe should drop out of the presidential race "weren't completely unjustified." Hunter, on the other hand, unloaded on Clooney in a July 2025 interview with Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan, saying, "F*** him. F*** him. F*** him and everybody around him." So, it seems that there are a few things that Jean-Pierre and Hunter aren't in agreement about when it comes to Joe dropping out of the race. Yet, one thing appears to be certain: Jean-Pierre believes that Hunter's troubles had a hand in what ultimately led to a second Donald Trump presidency.