In a marathon interview on “The Shawn Ryan Show” released Monday, former first son Hunter Biden criticized two significant decisions made during his father’s presidency. The former official described the U.S. immigration approach under President Joe Biden as “a disaster” and acknowledged the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan that left 13 American service members dead.
During an exchange with host Shawn Ryan—who highlighted the contrast between overwhelmed veterans services and taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal immigrants—Hunter Biden argued the country needs “vibrant” legal immigration but does not want individuals arriving illegally who drain resources, prioritize themselves above veterans and other Americans struggling at home.
Hunter Biden pushed back against claims that cutting migrant benefits would resolve Department of Veterans Affairs issues, insisting his father “cared” about veterans and citing the PACT Act as evidence of support. However, his broader admission underscored Republican arguments that the Biden administration lost operational control of the border and failed to enforce existing laws until political pressure intensified.
Government data reveals a sharp immigration surge. The Congressional Budget Office projected net immigration of approximately 2.4 million people per year in 2023 and 2024 within an “other foreign nationals” category before declining toward historical levels.
Hunter Biden also revived a recurring Democrat talking point, claiming a sweeping border bill negotiated by Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., had bipartisan support until Donald Trump intervened ahead of the 2024 election. Republicans countered that enforcement tools existed but Biden chose not to use them, while Trump consistently emphasized deterrence, removals, and limiting asylum abuse.
On Afghanistan, Hunter Biden stated leaving the country was “the right thing to do” after two decades of conflict but faulted the execution of the withdrawal. He referenced the ISIS-K suicide bombing at Kabul’s airport that killed 13 U.S. troops and roughly 170 Afghan civilians, saying, “I think there was a better way to do it… I can blame it on his generals, I can blame it on [other] people for the way in which we did it, but—I can say with certainty—the buck stops with him.”
Hunter Biden added his father was “crushed” by the deaths, though his blunt assessment will likely intensify scrutiny of the Biden team’s planning and deadly consequences—a point Republicans have long used to argue about diminished American credibility abroad.
