Jill Biden's decision to release a memoir and embark on a book tour has drawn sharp criticism, with CNN anchor Jake Tapper leading the charge against the former first lady for allegedly rewriting history and evading responsibility for the 2024 election loss. Hunter Biden, her son, fired back at Tapper, accusing him of misplaced priorities while highlighting the Trump family's controversial dealings.
Hunter Biden's defense
On Wednesday, Hunter Biden took to social media to question Tapper's focus on his mother. He pointed to various scandals involving Donald Trump's children, including Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump building a private island in Albania, Don Jr. marrying the daughter of Epstein's banker, Eric Trump taking an Israeli drone company public amid a war, and a startup backed by Don Jr. receiving a massive Pentagon loan. Hunter argued that these issues warrant more attention than his mother's book.
However, critics contend that the Bidens are not immune to scrutiny. Jill Biden's memoir makes several questionable claims, such as stating that neither she nor her staff would have hesitated to address Joe Biden's cognitive decline if it were present, insisting he was not at that point in summer 2024. Tapper dismissed this as difficult to believe, if not outright false.
Debate aftermath and Gaza omission
The disastrous debate with Donald Trump, which ended Joe Biden's re-election campaign, is also addressed. Jill Biden claimed she thought Joe was having a stroke and was "scared to death," but Trump mocked the couple for visiting a Waffle House afterward. The memoir largely sidesteps the Gaza conflict, devoting only two and a half pages to the issue, which many see as a key factor in the election loss. Jill Biden recounts leaving a Post-It note urging "Net has to stop" after World Central Kitchen workers were killed, but White House officials clarified she was not calling for an end to Israel's efforts against Hamas.
The Democratic party's broader refusal to confront its failures is evident in the DNC's 2024 autopsy report, which omitted Biden's age and Gaza. Critics argue this reflects a messaging problem rather than a policy one.
Hunter Biden's rising profile
Amid the controversy, Hunter Biden has gained unexpected popularity. He launched a Substack, jokes about his past crack addiction, and appeared on Candace Owens' podcast to rail against the "Epstein class." Some speculate he might run for president in 2028, a notion Trump himself entertained. Hunter embraces his viral fame, suggesting that people are being divided by an elite oligarch class and that common ground exists across the political spectrum.
Other news highlights
- The EU has invited the Taliban office to Brussels, drawing criticism from Afghan women's rights advocates who see it as legitimizing oppression.
- Iranian-French artist Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, has died at 56. Her relatives said she "died of sadness" after her husband's passing.
- Paraguayan tennis player Adolfo Daniel Vallejo was fined $65,000 for saying a match needed a male umpire due to a demanding crowd.
- Support for same-sex marriage and transgender rights in the US has stalled or declined, according to Gallup.
- A new drug for chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer is set to be approved in England, representing a major breakthrough.
- A Tasmanian devil named Mary escaped from a Queensland enclosure and remains at large on the Gold Coast.
