Hunter Biden offered a passionate defense of Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner during an appearance on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s podcast Friday, arguing that personal mistakes and controversies should not automatically define a person’s character or political future.
The discussion took place during an interview titled “Hunter Biden Doesn’t Care What You Think About Him,” part of a recent stretch of public appearances that has seen the son of former President Joe Biden become increasingly active in media and on social platforms. The conversation even included lighthearted speculation about a potential 2028 presidential ticket involving Newsom and Hunter Biden.
A significant portion of the interview focused on Platner, whose Senate campaign has faced scrutiny over several controversies, including a tattoo linked to Nazi imagery, sexually explicit messages reportedly sent to women while he was married, and allegations from former partners regarding his treatment of women.
Rather than focusing on those accusations, Biden urged listeners to consider a broader standard when evaluating public figures.
“I think that his relationship with his wife is his relationship with his wife,” Biden said before challenging critics to examine their own personal histories.
Using a phrase he repeated multiple times, Biden told skeptics to “show me your phone,” arguing that most people would be uncomfortable having every private message, photograph, or embarrassing moment exposed to public scrutiny.
According to Biden, many individuals have sent messages, taken photographs, or engaged in behavior they would later regret. He suggested that if perfection becomes the standard for holding public office, very few people would be able to meet it.
“Show me your phone,” Biden said again, arguing that nearly everyone has moments that could be portrayed negatively if viewed without context.
He maintained that he had not seen evidence convincing him that Platner was abusive, misogynistic, anti-Semitic, or racist. Instead, Biden pointed to policy positions he said Platner has championed, including support for free healthcare, major political reforms, and advocacy for working people.
The comments appeared to draw heavily from Biden’s own experiences with public controversy and personal struggles.
Later, in a social media post, Biden expanded on the argument by asking readers whether they would be willing to hand over their phones for public examination.
“You won’t,” he wrote.
According to Biden, people resist that level of scrutiny because everyone has moments in life that appear ugly when isolated from the broader story of who they are.
He argued that individuals can look like strangers to themselves when viewed only through the lens of their worst decisions, lowest points, or most embarrassing mistakes.
The post then turned deeply personal.
Biden reflected on a series of hardships that have shaped his life, including the deaths of his mother and baby sister in a car accident when he was a child and the loss of his brother Beau Biden to cancer.
He also spoke openly about his struggles with alcoholism and addiction, acknowledging what he described as repeated personal failures.
For years, Biden wrote, he believed tragedy, loss, and shame defined his life story. Over time, however, he came to reject that view.
Instead, he argued that while pain, failure, and hardship can leave lasting marks, they should not have the final word in determining a person’s identity.
His defense of Platner ultimately centered on that broader message of redemption: that people should be judged not solely by their mistakes, controversies, or lowest moments, but by the totality of their lives, beliefs, and actions.
[READ MORE: Pentagon Releases New UFO Files Featuring Mysterious Orb Sightings and Unresolved Cases]
