Jill Biden addressed the decision to pardon her son Hunter Biden during an interview on CBS. The conversation focused on why Joe Biden broke his earlier public promise to never pardon his son, a decision that surprised many people in the final days of his administration.
During the sit-down with correspondent Rita Braver, Jill Biden explained why her husband reversed course. She said that Donald Trump’s return to the White House changed everything for their family. “When Trump was elected, things changed, and we knew that he would target Hunter,” she told CBS.
She also pushed back on the nature of the charges against Hunter, adding, “And we just could not let our son go to jail on a charge that no one would go – I mean, no one has ever gone to jail for.” The pardon Joe Biden issued was full and unconditional, covering any offenses Hunter Biden “committed or may have committed” between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.
The legal background behind Hunter Biden’s pardon and the broader family concerns
Hunter Biden was convicted in 2024 on three felony gun charges, including possession of a firearm by an unlawful owner or someone addicted to a controlled substance. He also faced nine federal tax charges during the period covered by the pardon. Both sets of charges fell within the timeframe of the pardon Joe Biden signed before leaving office.
When Braver asked whether Jill Biden had personally pushed the president to change his position, she did not give a direct yes or no. Instead, she made clear she was fully behind the decision. “Oh gosh, I truly supported it. I wanted him to pardon Hunter at that point, and I agreed with Joe,” she said.
She also raised concerns about the legal process itself, saying that “the justice department changed, and the process was not fair to Hunter.” Joe Biden has had a complicated relationship with the Justice Department, as seen when he sued the DOJ over buried audio recordings the public had been seeking access to.
The interview also covered the preemptive pardons Joe Biden granted to other members of their family near the end of his term. When asked why those pardons were issued, Jill Biden suggested the reasoning was the same as with Hunter’s case. She indicated that her husband was consistently worried that President Trump would use his authority to go after their family members.
The interview also touched on other moments from the Biden presidency, including the June 2024 debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Jill Biden told CBS that she was “frightened” by her husband’s performance that night.
She went further, saying she believed her husband had a stroke while he was on stage during the debate. Biden has not shied away from making his views on Trump known, including when he accused Trump of planning to steal the midterms in a statement released hours before U.S. strikes on Iran.
Jill Biden’s comments to CBS offer a direct look at how the family understood the risks they believed they were facing during the transition of power, and the reasoning that guided some of the most consequential decisions made at the end of Joe Biden’s presidency.
Published: Jun 1, 2026 05:00 am