While the political establishment and mainstream media continue churning out glowing “behind-the-scenes” memoirs about Joe Biden’s presidency, one figure has been noticeably silent: Biden himself. Since revealing a cancer diagnosis in May — just before some of the more damaging exposés were released — the former president has kept a low profile. Until now.
As someone who values strong, visible leadership in the White House, Biden’s silence has frankly been a relief. Gone are the days of watching every gaffe and muddled statement to assess the health of the executive branch. But for those of us who enjoy a bit of political theater — especially the unintentional kind — Biden’s reemergence is a return to form.
This week, Biden resurfaced at a Society for Human Resource Management event in San Diego, and let’s just say he hasn’t lost his flair for delusion. Among the headlines: he claimed that multiple European leaders are personally reaching out to him to get involved in the effort to stop President Donald Trump’s agenda. That’s right — he’s still under the impression that he holds sway over international policy.
He also mentioned that he’s been hard at work writing a 500-page memoir, due out in “March of this year” — although we’re now well into July. It’s unclear whether he misspoke or whether the timeline is as fuzzy as his recollection of his own tenure.
But beyond the familiar political ramblings, Biden made one comment that deserves special attention: when asked what he most wants to be remembered for, he answered simply, “Being a good father.”
That statement might play well on stage, but it doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.
Let’s consider the facts. Joe Biden has had three children reach adulthood. His late son Beau, by most accounts, was a respected public servant who tragically passed away in 2015. The other two children, Hunter and Ashley, present a far more troubling picture.
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles, questionable business dealings, and well-documented substance abuse issues have been national news for years. But what’s often overlooked is how deeply intertwined his misconduct has been with Joe Biden’s own political power.
From the infamous moniker “The Senator from MBNA” — a reference to Biden’s cozy relationship with a major Delaware bank that gave Hunter a lucrative job — to the Burisma scandal in Ukraine, Hunter’s career appears less like a path of personal merit and more like a string of doors opened by his father’s influence.
Even as vice president, Joe Biden failed to intervene meaningfully when his son joined the board of a Ukrainian energy company under investigation — all while Biden himself was leading the Obama administration’s Ukraine policy. Later, as Hunter launched a suspiciously successful art career, Joe did nothing to distance himself from the ethical concerns.
When legal accountability finally came knocking, Joe’s response was to defend Hunter’s innocence before any judicial process unfolded — and eventually to pardon him after a guilty plea and conviction. That’s not tough love. That’s enabling.
Then there’s Ashley Biden, his daughter with Jill Biden. Although far less visible than Hunter, Ashley has also struggled with addiction and, according to her leaked diary, experienced disturbing episodes in her upbringing. One particularly controversial passage alludes to inappropriate childhood experiences — “showers with my dad (probably not appropriate)” — contributing to her early hypersexualization.
Even if taken with a grain of skepticism, these are not the memories one expects from a child of a “good father.”
Here is Joe Biden bragging about how he leveraged aid to force Ukraine into firing prosecutor Viktor Shokin.
Shokin was investigating Burisma.
Hunter worked for Burisma. pic.twitter.com/LgtwyAJftx
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 2, 2024
Biden’s record as a grandfather also raises questions. For years, Joe and Jill Biden refused to acknowledge Navy Joan Roberts, the daughter Hunter fathered out of wedlock with Lunden Roberts. Despite a court-confirmed paternity test, the Bidens publicly ignored the child — even omitting her from the White House Christmas display. This level of erasure is not just cold — it’s calculated.
Adding to the family drama, another Biden grandchild reportedly clashed with Secret Service agents in an incident so entitled it allegedly led to retaliation against the agents involved. For a man who claims family values are central to his legacy, Biden seems curiously detached from the consequences of his own family’s behavior.
A Presidency and a Patriarchy in Decline
Ultimately, Joe Biden’s desire to be remembered as a “good father” rings as hollow as some of his most public political promises. Just as many Americans remain skeptical of his record as commander-in-chief — especially given his administration’s failures on the border, inflation, and international affairs — his family saga suggests another legacy entirely: that of a father who leveraged political power to protect, enable, and excuse his children rather than hold them accountable.
It’s telling that Biden seems more bothered by the undoing of his policies by President Trump than by the unraveling of his family’s reputation. “Many of the things I worked so damn hard [on], that I thought I changed in the country, are changing so rapidly,” he lamented this week.
What he misses — perhaps because it’s too painful to admit — is that his legacy won’t be judged only by his policies or speeches. It will also be judged by how he led his family, how he handled power, and whether he stood for integrity in private as well as public life.
By those measures, Joe Biden’s legacy — as both president and parent — is not one of strength or principle, but of denial, favoritism, and failure.