Hunter Biden, who received a rare sweeping pardon from his father, former President Joe Biden, has qualms with President Donald Trump’s use of executive clemency. Speaking to MeidasTouch, Hunter acknowledged the personal nature of the issue when asked whether the pardon system should be reformed.
“I’m completely biased as it relates to what my dad did for me. I fully understand how uniquely situated I am in being privileged enough to have received a pardon from my father,” he said.
But no surprise, Hunter is hypocritical in how the political action is utilized, and by whom. “I don’t think that the founders ever imagined Donald Trump. I don’t think they ever imagined the Trump family.”
Shortly before leaving office, Joe Biden granted his son a “full and unconditional pardon” covering any potential offenses committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024. The move marked a sharp reversal after repeated assurances from both Biden and White House officials that no such pardon would be issued. When he ultimately acted, Biden argued that his son had been “selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles included a June 2024 conviction by a jury for possession of a firearm while using illegal drugs. Three months later, he pleaded guilty to failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes.
The pardon sparked backlash across the political spectrum, including from prominent Democrats on Capitol Hill, some of whom warned the decision could encourage Trump to more aggressively deploy clemency powers upon returning to office.
Reflecting on the broader use of pardons, Hunter contrasted the two administrations. “I think my dad gave 80 or so pardons over a four-year period of time,” he said. “Donald Trump has given over 1,500 pardons in the first year alone. But I’m obviously—I’m not the one to be, I don’t think, fairly or unbiasedly talking about the presidential pardon power.”
However, the New York Post corrects Hunter, noting that by the end of his presidency, Joe Biden had issued more acts of clemency than any previous U.S. president, with 4,165 commutations and 80 pardons.
As for Trump’s clemency activity during his second term, it has been tied to a sweeping decision to grant relief to roughly 1,600 individuals connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.