...
By Jordan King
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Hunter Biden has issued a public warning to leaders of the Democratic Party, arguing that recent election results in New York show voters are turning away from establishment figures toward candidates with clearer ideological convictions.
"The middle is not a strategy," the 56-year-old son of former President Joe Biden wrote in a seven-point social media post on Wednesday, after allies of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani swept a hat trick of electoral victories.
"Endorsements from the current Democratic leadership now read like warnings. The establishment wing of the party is no longer a sword. It's a question mark," Biden said, adding that "voters reached past the establishment to grab someone who actually believes something."
Read More on News
Biden's public critique of the Democratic establishment, of which his father has long been a leading figure, highlights a broader debate within the party over its direction following heavy election losses in 2024.
...
What Hunter Biden Said About New York's Elections
Dispelling recent online rumors and jokes about a potential 2028 presidential run, Biden began his post on Wednesday by saying, "I'm not running for office."
He then laid out seven "lessons" he would take away from Tuesday's House primaries in New York, several of which spoke to the "authenticity" and "conviction" of the candidates.
"The candidates who said hard things about rent, about who pays for what, about Gaza, they won. The triangulators lost," Biden wrote.
He added that the cost of living "is everything," and that Democratic candidates should court their base rather than fear it: "The Democrats who ran from their own voters lost. The ones who ran toward them won."
He concluded the post with a "lesson under the lessons," arguing that voters didn't want management but leadership.
What Mamdani Wins Mean for Establishment Dems
On Tuesday night, Mamdani went three for three in his political endorsements—further cementing his growing influence within the party and putting him in direct conflict with top Democratic power brokers.
Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander defeated two-term Representative Dan Goldman in New York's 10th Congressional District primary. Political newcomer Darializa Avila Chevalier unseated five-term Representative Adriano Espaillat in the 13th District. Meanwhile, Assemblymember Claire Valdez beat Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the race to succeed retiring Representative Nydia Velázquez in the 7th District.
The Mamdani-backed victories represent a significant setback for several establishment-backed Democrats and are widely viewed as a sign of the growing strength of the party's progressive wing. The mayor, who campaigned alongside his endorsed candidates, said afterward that Democrats needed to put working people back "at the heart" of the party's agenda.
Hunter Biden's Return to the Political Spotlight
In recent weeks, Biden has made a return to political debate on X, emerging as an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and an increasingly vocal commentator on the Democratic Party's future.
During his father's presidency, his drug addiction and legal troubles made him a recurring subject of Republican attacks. But Biden is now embracing rather than avoiding the controversies that once made him a political liability.
Earlier this month, he marked seven years of sobriety on X and has since spoken openly about his past drug addiction. At the same time, he has used his platform to defend his family and trade barbs with political opponents.
Biden's renewed presence in the public eye has fueled speculation about whether he is positioning himself for a future political role, although he has repeatedly insisted he has no intention of running for office.
Hunter Biden Joins Instagram, Addresses 'Haters'
In his first post after joining Instagram, Biden said he ignored "all the haters."
While discussing his drawing of a koi fish, which he said was a "symbol of recovery," he told viewers that he wanted to use the social media platform to share the "experience, strength and hope" of recovery.
He added that he wanted to hear others' stories, and that in sharing, he hoped there was "healing that can be done."
Biden continued, "I ignore all the haters, but for me, what this experience has been about is about understanding that there's something that connects us all, and sometimes that's about the pain we've all experienced."
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Shakeema Edwards.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines