Hunter Biden tells BBC his pardon was ‘not good’ for America or his father’s legacy
Hunter Biden told the BBC that the presidential pardon granted by his father, Joe Biden, was unfair and damaging to America, the Constitution and his father’s legacy, although he remains grateful for it. He said he understood the criticism but believed his father acted from concern that he would be targeted under Donald Trump’s incoming administration.
Joe Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon in December 2024, covering Hunter Biden’s gun conviction, tax case and potential federal offences between 2014 and 2024, despite earlier saying he would not intervene. Hunter Biden also described the severity of his past addiction and said his father’s cancer had spread to his bones and beyond, causing significant pain and debilitation.
In short
- Hunter Biden admits his pardon harmed his father’s legacy.
- The pardon covered convictions and federal offences over a decade.
- He says Joe Biden’s cancer has spread and is painful.
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The case for
Those defending the pardon argue that President Biden acted within his constitutional authority to protect his son from what he reasonably feared would be political persecution under an incoming Trump administration that had explicitly promised retribution. They contend that allowing a president's family members to be systematically weaponised by political enemies would represent a dangerous violation of democratic fairness, and that using the pardon power to shield family from targeted prosecution differs fundamentally from ordinary nepotism shielding routine criminal conduct.
The case against
Critics argue that an unconditional pardon of a president's own son—covering tax crimes, gun offences and other serious charges across multiple years—fundamentally violates the principle of equal justice that sustains democratic governance. They contend this represents precisely the kind of abuse of executive power for personal benefit that constitutional checks exist to prevent, and Biden's explicit prior promise not to intervene makes the reversal particularly corrosive to public trust in the impartiality of the justice system.
Explained simply
Joe Biden served as US president from 2021 to 2025, and his son Hunter Biden has faced federal criminal cases. In 2024, Hunter was convicted of gun offences and pleaded guilty in a tax case; presidential pardons can cancel federal penalties and prevent prosecution for offences they cover.
A pardon is a formal presidential power, but its use in a case involving a close family member drew scrutiny because Joe Biden had previously said he would not intervene. The cases became part of wider political disputes over the justice system and the transfer of power to Donald Trump, who won the 2024 presidential election.