Hunter Biden could mount a successful White House bid despite his criminal convictions and foreign business scandals, President Donald Trump said Thursday — pointing to the quality of candidates Democrats have recently backed.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked by Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy about the younger Biden running for president in 2028. The question came after Hunter Biden reacted to a parody account on X touting him as the 2028 Democratic presidential nominee.
“You would think that the past has something to do with winning an election. And I would say his past is not the greatest.”
Trump quickly pivoted to controversial Democratic Senate candidates as his measuring stick.
“Hey, if the guy from Maine can do well, I guess Hunter could do well, too, because the guy from Maine is a basket case,” Trump said, referring to Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner. “And I would say worse than him is the one from Texas that looks like Alfred E. Neuman,” he added, referencing Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.
Platner, a Marine veteran who has emerged as one of the party’s fastest-rising political figures, has come under fire for controversies ranging from sexually explicit messages and offensive social media posts to a Nazi-linked tattoo and campaign staff upheaval.
Despite the baggage, Platner has retained the support of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
In Texas, Talarico has drawn pushback from conservative opponents over his religious claims. He said “God is nonbinary” during a 2021 debate in the Texas legislature. He has also claimed there are six biological sexes and posted about the radicalization of white men on social media.
Hunter Biden’s controversies include his foreign business dealings, convictions for tax evasion and illegal possession of a weapon, and drug addiction. His father, former President Joe Biden, pardoned him in December after repeatedly promising not to.
Trump’s remarks suggest he views the Democratic Party’s candidate-quality problem as so severe that even a convicted felon with Hunter Biden’s baggage could be competitive in a primary.
