Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Sunday that she thinks Biden’s supporters in the White House would probably prefer that Hunter Biden “go away now.”
During a panel discussion on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Psaki — who also hosts MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki” — said she thinks Hunter Biden’s media appearances as a whole aren’t helping his father’s re-election bid.
“Look, I think if you’re sitting in the White House right now, you’re saying, ‘Please, Hunter Biden. We know your father loves you. Please stop public speaking. It doesn’t help any of them that he’s out there,” Psaki said.
Psaki added, however, that President Biden’s dedication to his son might appeal to voters.
She highlighted a comment made earlier during an NBC News focus group. When asked to choose a word that best describes President Biden, this focus group participant responded “family.”
“Honestly, it has nothing to do with politics. Family. When I think of him, I think he cares a lot about his family,” one participant said, after other participants responded with “tired,” “out of it,” “caring,” and “status quo.” .
“But at the same time, the president loves his son,” Psaki said. “That takes precedence over anything else. It’s attractive. I think of the woman in your focus group who talked about family. He loves his son. He loves his family. He worries about his mental health. But yeah, the White House would probably like him to go away now. »
Psaki’s comments come after Hunter Biden gave a news conference on Capitol Hill last week, after Republican-led committees subpoenaed her closed-door testimony as part of their investigation into her father. Hunter Biden agreed to testify publicly but did not want to testify behind closed doors.
House Republicans have opened an impeachment inquiry against President Biden, seeking to link him to his son’s overseas business dealings. They found no evidence of serious crimes.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.